


KFP

by lightningstormtc



Series: Light's Hololive Series [1]
Category: HoloCN, HoloEN, HoloID, Hololive, Holostars, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: Asacoco, BAMF Kiara, Eventual Takamori, F/F, HAACHAMACHAMA, Kiara Fried Phoenix, Kiara rules the world, Mystery, Rusha boing boing, Slice of Life, Time Travel, kfp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 65,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28067493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightningstormtc/pseuds/lightningstormtc
Summary: "There is only one more question," the interviewer said. "Do you have any problems serving supernatural customers?""Not really," Ryan replied. "It's not like they're not people too. I don't see the big deal with it.""I see," the interviewer said. "I would love to have you here, but there is a new location being opened not too far from here. You will be receiving an email with further details. Have a great day."Ryan smiled.18 year old Ryan Shade is taking his first job after being a NEET for a year. Little does he know that he's in for a huge surprise.A normal person is hired to work at a new KFP location where the CEO Takanashi Kiara herself will be working at. It is a rather small location, but for some reason, none of the customers are normal humans. Read along and find out how he interacts with different people from the Hololive Production and how this changes him as a person.CONTINUED IN KFP: DOUBLE BACK AND KFP: RETURN HOME
Relationships: Gawr Gura/Watson Amelia (hololive), Inugami Korone/Nekomata Okayu, Mori Calliope/Takanashi Kiara, Shiranui Flare/Shirogane Noel
Series: Light's Hololive Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059992
Comments: 153
Kudos: 211
Collections: KFP Verse





	1. Culture Shock

Day One: Culture Shock

Ryan awoke to the permeating sound of his alarm. He gropes around the nightstand before eventually slamming the alarm clock. He contemplated going back to bed before sighing. “Why did they give me the opening shift on my first day?” He slipped out of bed before dressing up in his standard clothing. Black hoodie and black pants. He didn’t even bother to put on a shirt. He would be getting his uniform later today anyways. Ryan scratched the back of his head, looking at the door. This was his first job since graduating high school. After that, he decided to sit around and be a NEET for a year, but after his parents decided to stop supporting his unhealthy habits, he had no choice but to get a job. As any freshly minted 18-year-old, he decided to start with working at an international fast-food restaurant joint. He applied for a few, but most of them denied him. The only one that did accept him was KFP, otherwise known as Kiara Fried Phoenix. His acceptance thoroughly surprised him, considering that despite the painfully average (if not below average) pay, they had amazing benefits. Considering his luck, those healthcare benefits would definitely come in handy.

Ryan opened the door to his apartment, typing in the address on his phone. For some reason, instead of being hired at the one he applied to, he was transferred to one that was just opening. Apparently, they were understaffed for the grand opening, so in their infinite wisdom, they decided to get someone with absolutely no training at all whatsoever to go help out. He sighed to himself, resigning to his fate. He was probably screwed one way or another. _Might as well get paid, though,_ Ryan thought to himself as he exited the complex.

He followed the GPS and took a few turns before stopping. This couldn’t be right. The GPS told him to go through a back alley. Why would a fast-food restaurant be through a back alley? He looked at his phone to see if there were any alternate routes, but when he refreshed the page, it seems that the alley was the only way. He sighed, walking into the alley. If he missed his first way of work, he’d probably never live it down. The alley was surprisingly clean and empty. No side doors, no heaps of trash, no dumpsters. He continued to walk for a couple minutes before stumbling. Suddenly, he started to feel dizzy. He massaged his temples and closed his eyes before looking up again. There it was. A generic looking KFP resided at the other side of the valley. Ryan stepped through the clearing and examined the restaurant. The first thing he noticed that there was no parking lot. How did they expect to get money when they made this location so far out of the way? He sighed and walked over to the entrance, nudging the doors. Great, it was closed. He looked at his phone. 6:04 am. Great. What kind of manager was late to the grand opening?

“KEKIRIKI!” A loud voice made Ryan all but comically jump ten feet in the air.

“Who the-“ Ryan turned around, ready to tell off the person who startled him, but stopped when he realized who was facing him. “Takanashi-shachou?!”

He expected some cranky manager, not the CEO of KFP herself. Takanashi Kiara became a worldwide sensation practically overnight. She was able to sell fried chicken at low prices and higher quality than any of her competitors, instantly becoming a hit. Over the past year and a half, she erected locations throughout the globe, even purchasing out companies that didn’t specialize in fast food. She owned her own video game company, TV network, music brand, and even hosted a talk show. Her appearance only succeeded in mystifying Ryan even more. Why would the CEO herself show up at some random joint in the middle of nowhere?

“You’re Ryan Shade right?” Kiara asked, tilting her head as putting a finger on her chin. Ryan nodded his head. “Ah, nice to meet you! You can call me Tenchou while you’re here.”

“Okay, Tenchou,” Ryan replied. He was still thoroughly shell-shocked, but he decided to act calm. He’s never had a job before and as a result, doesn’t know what would be acceptable or unacceptable to say. He reasons that he has a right to be shocked but decided to play it safe. “It seems the manager has yet to show up, so I don’t have a way to get into the building. I don’t have a key, so I can’t open up myself.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Kiara took out a keychain and fiddled with it for a couple seconds. As she found the right one, Ryan stepped out of the way from the door, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets to hide his shaking hands. “I’m going to be the manager for this one!”

“W-wait really?!” Ryan exclaimed, losing his cool demeanor.

“This one will be…” Kiara put a finger on her chin and looked up, seemingly fishing for the right word. “Special.”

“Whatever you say,” Ryan muttered under his breath. If Kiara heard him, she didn’t acknowledge it. She opened the door, gesturing for Ryan to enter. Ryan walked in and looked around. If Ryan was completely honest, the interior looked a lot more like a bar or a tavern with a fast foot makeover. There were four tables with four chairs each coated in the standard white and orange. The main highlight was the counter. The counter had a row of eight stools across. There were eight little screens in line with the stools which were at most six-by-six inches. Ryan didn’t know why, but for some reason, but he felt that something was different about the counter. He sighed, resolving that he would find out why later.

“I had everything prepared for you in the back already,” Kiara said, gesturing to the door behind the counter. “I’ll open up today. You should get ready. Our first customers will be coming soon.”

Ryan nodded before going over to the door Kiara pointed at and opened the door. The room it led to was a small room with a table identical to the ones out in the restaurant. He looked over to the right of the room to see a counter with a fridge, a water dispenser, and a microwave. He then saw the hanger with one uniform on it. That was weird. Weren’t there more employees? Another thing is that at the time he arrived, he was the only one there. Wouldn’t there be other people there to work as well? He shrugged to himself. He could ask Kiara later. He noted the door to the left that had a sign saying ‘changing room’ and grabbed the uniform, a white shirt with long sleeves, an orange button up vest with a golden name plate showing his name, white pants, and brown shoes and walked into the changing room, taking a deep breath. It was time for work.

* * *

Ryan noted that the uniform fitted quite well. He never gave his measurements to KFP, so having the uniform fit so well was a little bit weird. Ryan shrugged it off as a coincidence and opened the door back into the restaurant.

“Are you ready, Ryan?” Kiara asked as he opened the door.

“Yes, Tenchou,” Ryan replied, putting up his best impression of a customer service smile, which wasn’t all too good. “If I may ask, where are all the other employees?”

“Oh, we’re the only two here!” Kiara replied happily, as if that wasn’t an abysmal idea.

“Only us two?!” Ryan exclaimed, completely flabbergasted. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Oh, it’ll be fine!” Kiara waved dismissively. “This won’t really be a busy joint. You’ll see why I was reluctant to hire people for this particular place soon.”

“O-okay…” Ryan said nervously. Before he could say anything else, black mist started to form behind one of the stools. As it continued to form, Ryan started to see a person walk out of the black mist. As the person finished walking out of the black mist, it started dissolve. The person was revealed to be a pale, tall woman with long, pink hair. The black dress she had on had two layers, one being that of a normal dress while the other being what looked like a torn robe. As the black mist completely faded, Ryan watched in mounting horror as a scythe revealed itself in the woman’s right hand.

“Holy shit!” Ryan shouted out of instinct.

“Calli!” Kiara shouted, jumping over the counter to tackle the woman in a hug.

“Guh!” The woman now known as Calli grunted as Kiara collided into her. She attempted to push Kiara off her as she tried to nuzzle her. “Get off, Kusotori!”

“Uhhh, should I call the cops or something?” Ryan asked, his finger hovering over the call button on his phone, obviously distressed. He was indeed panicking, but he tried his best not to lose it before he loses his life.

“No, it’s fine,” Kiara detached herself from the tall woman to look at her employee. “Calli’s a friend. You don’t have to worry about her.”

“O-okay…” Ryan said, leaving the cops on speed-dial, just in case. Part of him wanted to call the cops, but something told him that calling them wouldn’t end well. The woman didn’t seem hostile and calling the cops might make things worse.

“Oh, you got someone to work here with you. I’m surprised,” Calli turned to look at Ryan with her crimson eyes. “My name is Calliope Mori. Make sure the bird doesn’t do anything stupid, okay?”

Something clicked in Ryan’s head. He’s heard that name before. He was still relatively new to the rap scene, but Calliope Mori was a name that popped up a lot. Ryan remembered the first time listening to her song, “Cursed Night”. The song really resonated with him, and ever since then, he had been an adamant fan of the musician.

“It’s nice to meet you, Calliope-san,” Ryan bowed respectfully, half out of fear and half out of respect. “I’m a huge fan of your music.”

“You flatter me,” a soft smile formed on Calli’s face before facing Kiara. “I’ll have the usual, please.”

“You got it!” Kiara walked around to the back of the counter and opened a cupboard underneath the counter and took out a bottle of red wine and a wine glass, placing it on the table in front of her. Calli sat down, letting her scythe lean on the counter as she let leaned in, resting her elbows on it.

“When are the others coming?” Calli asked as she poured herself a glass.

“Right about…” Kiara started, mere seconds before the door flew opened. “Now.”

“Heya!” A small girl with while hair, blue eyes, and an oversized shark hoodie shouted enthusiastically. Ryan noticed the tail but decided not to comment on it. Unlike a lot of people, he was a rather progressive person. Magical beings were brought into common knowledge just recently but were poorly received. A majority of people were scared of these magical beings, as magic was something that they were unfamiliar with. Sure, magic is a wonderful and all, but a vast majority of spells had a hard time stopping bullet. Honestly, Ryan didn’t know what the big deal was with all of this. Retaliation from the magical side of things have been exceedingly low, and in his personal opinion, cat girls deserve pets rather than death. “What’s up?!”

“Oh, hey, you managed to drag someone into this mess,” a small girl with short, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a terribly smug smile fixated on Ryan. She wore a detective’s cap, a white dress shirt, a brown trench coat, and a red tie. Ryan recognized her immediately. Amelia Watson was a pro gamer that had taken the industry by storm. She won 15 world championships back-to-back for an FPS that Ryan didn’t care to remember. “You have your mom’s number, kid?”

“Uhh…” Ryan shuffled nervously.

“Ame~,” The small girl whined, who Ryan will refer to as Shark Girl until he gets her name. “What did I tell you about ground pounding people’s moms?”

“I can’t resist, Gura,” Amelia giggled at the small girl. Ryan noted that her laugh was akin to that of a gremlin that Ryan would normally see in bad TV shows.

A third girl bounded over to Ryan and offered her hand. “Hi! I’m Ina! It’s nice to meet you!” The only thing Ryan didn’t find absolutely adorable about the purple haired girl was the multiple gigantic tentacles jutting out of her back. “What’s your name?”

“M-my name’s Ryan,” Ryan shook her hand, trying his best not to be freaked out. Between the scythe, shark tail, and the eldritch tentacles, Ryan was thoroughly shocked. His mind was racing. At that point, he remembered something during his interview. One of the questions referred to serving magical beings. A lot of places had them on their application. Ryan of course said yes, even though a lot of places would deduct points off for saying yes, calling those people sympathizers. Ryan personally was thoroughly disgusted by how people treated magical beings. They were still sentient beings too. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

“Nice to meet you!” The one known as Gura bounded over, Amelia following close behind. They all took their seats next to each other and the small screens by their seats flared to flared to life, showing a cartoon model of they as well as their names on the side behind the counter.

“What can I get all of you?” Ryan asked, putting on a customer service smile. Despite receiving no training, he wanted to try and help somehow.

“Nothing for now, but can I ask you to take this?” Amelia reached into the inside of her coat and took out a syringe, a glowing blue liquid sloshing around inside the glass. “It’s safe, I promise.”

“Ame, no poisoning my employees,” Kiara said sternly, confiscating the syringe before Ryan can react. “Don’t worry about their orders. I already know what they want. You should get to know these people while I prepare their orders.”

Ryan sighed as his only chance of survival left to go cook. He felt like he should be back there, learning how to operate the fryers and such, but he wasn’t the boss.

“So, Ryan,” Calli caught his attention. “Why did you get this job? I’m sure you were aware that this was going to be a magic-only establishment and I don’t sense any magic energy from you.”

“Actually, I wasn’t aware about that,” Ryan sighed. He really should have been warned. Kiara seemed to be really bad at this, but he decided to let it slide for now. It’s not like he could quit or anything. He didn’t have a backup plan, so he was stuck with this. “But what can you do? I don’t really mind, anyways.”

“That’s new,” Amelia said, her smug smile turning a bit softer. “A lot of us have to hide our identities to make a living here.”

“You’re a magical being?” Ryan asked, confused.

“I’m a mage. You can blame this right here,” she pointed to the clock she wore around her neck. “This thing put me through quite the trip.”

“I’m still mad about that,” Gura pouted.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you for four thousand years!” Amelia shot at the shark girl. “I’m sorry I’m not immortal like _some_ people!”

“I’m not immortal!” Gura shot back, causing Calli to facepalm.

“Excuse me,” Ryan looked at the two bickering girls. “But what the hell?”

“Assuming you survive this job, I’m sure we’ll tell you eventually,” Amelia smirked at the employee.

“I’m really not liking my odds here,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Don’t worry, you’re not scheduled for a while,” Calli said, a tablet appearing in a black mist.

“What’s that?” Ryan asked, curiously.

“Calli’s Death,” Ina replied bluntly.

“What?” Ryan asked. “You know what? I’m not even going to ask.”

“Probably a smart idea,” Kiara said, bringing out a tray of food from the back. She placed the food, a cut of grilled fish and a bowl of rice for Gura, takoyaki for Ina, a bag of salt for Amelia, and more wine for Calli.

“Not funny,” Amelia deadpanned, though Gura was laughing hysterically.

“Can we tako bout this?” Ina asked, causing Ryan to facepalm. Eldritch horror aside, that joke sounded like something he would have said, and that wasn’t really a good sign.

“Are you really sure more wine is a good idea?” Ryan asked Kiara.

“It’s fine,” Kiara replied. “Drunk Calli is so cute!”

“I’m not drinking for your amusement,” Calli glared at Kiara.

“Thank you for the food!” Gura clasped her hands together before getting a pair of chopsticks and digging in.

“Check in, everyone!” Kiara smiled at the four people on her counter. Ryan knew that they knew each other, so he decided not to say anything.

“Finally off those scythe swinging classes,” Calli said, finishing another glass of wine. “I have a lot more time to stream and make music.”

“You stream?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun,” Calli replied.

“I just opened art commissions,” Ina took a bite out of her taco. “I’ve been pretty flooded recently.”

“I finally got a 3D model!” Gura cheered, her mouth full of food.

“That’s great!” Kiara cheered, patting Gura’s head. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m off to ground pound Ryan’s mom,” Amelia chuckled to herself.

“I would prefer if you didn’t,” Ryan mumbled meekly. As much as he didn't appreciate his mother's actions this past year, he didn't wish whatever "ground pounding" was on her.

“Yeah, Ame,” Kiara shot at the pro gamer. “Stop ground pounding my employees’ moms.”

“Fine, fine,” Amelia put the salt inside her trench coat. “Anyways, I should probably show up at the agency soon. My boss would have my head if I came late again.”

“Thank you for the meal!” Gura put the empty bowl back down. “I’m going to head out too!”

“I have a stream in thirty minutes,” Calli put down her empty wine glass. “It was nice meeting you, Ryan.”

“I need to get back to work too,” Ina smiled at Ryan. “It was nice meeting you, Ryan.”

“Nice meeting you too,” Ryan waved awkwardly as they left one at a time. “Wait, they didn’t pay, did they?”

“Don’t worry!” Kiara slapped Ryan’s back. “They’ll pay me eventually.”

“That’s not reassuring,” Ryan grumbled. “Anyways, that was an eventful day.”

“Day?” Kiara asked confused. “It’s only 7 am.”

“What.” Ryan looked at Kiara with pure shock.

“It’s time for training!” Kiara shot her fist in the air. Ryan groaned. This was going to be a long day.


	2. Mother and Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PEKO PEKO PEKO PEKO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate Pekora coming out to her mother, I decided to dedicate this chapter to Pekora and Pekomama! I hope you enjoy!

Day Two: Mother and Daughter

Ryan threw himself on his bed. The past eight hours have been the most tiring hours of his life. Despite Kiara’s yelling and having expectations that were _clearly_ beyond that of human expectations, he actually had a lot of fun. Although Kiara tended to shout a lot, Ryan knew she was doing so in good faith. Ryan was surprised how down to earth and transparent the billionaire was. She reminded him of… _Damn it, why do I always go back to that?_ Ryan knocked his head a couple times, trying to perish the thought. _Just go to sleep, moron. I probably have work early again tomorrow. Stupid Tenchou, not giving me a schedule._

* * *

Ryan woke up not to the sound of his alarm, but the sound of a phone ringing. _Great, I guess mom’s going to chew me out now,_ he thought to himself, reaching for his phone. For the past couple months, Ryan’s mom would be the only one who would call him, only to chew him out for his lifestyle. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react to him getting a job. Either she would be really happy or get mad and would insist that he could do better.

It came as a surprise when a random number popped up. It could just be one of those spam calls, but Ryan figured that he should answer anyways. He was an adult now and taking phone calls was part of being an adult. He pressed the green button and put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“KIKKERIKI~!!!” Kiara’s voice came out so loud, Ryan had to move the phone away from his ear.

“Oh, hello Tenchou,” Ryan looked at his phone. “What do you need? It’s like 5 am. Also, how did you get my number?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kiara said cheerfully. “I need you at the site in five. Your training isn’t complete yet.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Ryan asked.

“Nope!” Kiara chirped, popping the p. “Now get your ass over here before I get your ass over here!”

Ryan gaped at the phone as the line went dead before sighing. _This is my life now,_ he thought to himself as he forced himself to get out of bed.

* * *

“You’ve been doing well,” Kiara said, munching on a fried chicken leg. “I can taste it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan put another set of chicken in the fryer. “I’ve been at this for three hours. How are you able to eat all of the chicken I’m making?”

“I’m just that good,” Kiara winked at her sl- employee, throwing the eaten chicken bone in the trash.

As Ryan started to think of a witty comeback, the doors slammed opened. “Konpeko, konpeko, konpeko!” A short girl with an unusually high-pitched voice and bunny ears barreled through the door. The girl had blue hair with carrots braided into them. She wore a light blue dress with pieces of fluff at the bottom. “Usada Pekora has arrived!”

“Pekora-senpai!” Kiara all but squealed, running over to the counter. Usada Pekora… the name rung a bell in Ryan’s head. He remembered reading an article about Usada Construction back when he was trying to trade stocks for a living instead of getting an actual job. Apparently, sometime six months ago, the stocks for the company almost doubled when the new CEO, Usada Pekora took over the position from her late father.

 _Jeez, why do so many famous people show up here?_ The Ryan from two years ago would have beamed at the opportunity to meet so many celebrities, but the Ryan now is just tired of everything. Sure, it’s still surprising to meet all of these people at a KFP of all places, and frankly, jumping out of his skin in excitement was probably a good thing.

“Ah, if it isn’t Kiara-chan,” a taller woman walked in, not far behind Pekora. Her hair color matched that of Pekora’s flowing all the way down her back. Her yellow eyes matched that of Pekora’s, though hers shone with fondness in experience while Pekora’s were full of excitement and energy. She wore a yellow sundress with an apron, a carrot sewed into the center.

“Hi, Pekomama!” Kiara chirped, closing her eyes and smiling widely. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person!”

Ryan walked out over to the counter, holding a tub of fried chicken. “Hello, my name is Ryan Shade,” he introduced himself. “Would you like this very nice tub of fried chicken?”

“No!” Kiara swiped at the tub of chicken, but Ryan raised the tub out of Kiara’s reach. “Those are mine! Mine!”

“Tenchou, we have customers,” Ryan sighed, already getting used Kiara’s antics. “They take priority.”

Pekora laughed out loud at that. Ryan noted that her laugh was very… unique, but who was he to judge? She was a billionaire and he just recently lost his status as a NEET. “It’s okay-peko,” Pekomama replied. “We’re herbivores. Some carrots would be nice, though.”

“I’ll deal with it!” Kiara offered. “You’ve been working for three hours straight. Take a break and talk with the customers here.”

“Ah, so kind-peko,” Pekomama chuckled to herself.

“I know Kiara-peko-chan,” Pekora said, laughing to herself. “She probably called him in an hour before opening.”

“How did you know?” Ryan asked, genuinely startled. Why did so many people know so may things about him? First his phone number, now his schedule. He doesn’t even know Pekora.

“Kiara-chan is known for pulling things like this-peko,” Pekora replied. “It’s become an inside joke. She cares for her employees but is infamous for giving them overtime and low wages-peko.”

“Those seem to contradict each other,” Ryan deadpanned.

“I heard that!” Kiara’s voice rang from the back room, causing all three of them to burst out laughing.

“So, Ryan, tell me about yourself-peko,” Pekomama said, a gentle smile on her face.

“Oh, I’m nothing special,” Ryan replied, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m just some NEET who finally got off his ass and got a job. I _was_ born in America, but that’s about the only thing interesting about me.”

“You must be special, otherwise Kiara-chan wouldn’t have hired you for this job-peko,” Pekora said, looking into Ryan’s eyes. Even knowing Pekora for only a few minutes, Ryan could tell this was out of character for her. Even Pekomama gave Pekora a confused look.

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked, deciding whether he should be confused, scared, or both.

“That’s enough of that!” Kiara burst through the door with two bowls of boiled carrots, place it in front of the two rabbit girls.

“Tenchou, what is she talking about?” Ryan turned his head to look at his boss. Ryan didn’t know why, but Pekora’s attitude unsettled him. When Pekora was looking into his eyes, he felt exposed. As if his soul was an open book and she was just casually reading it.

Kiara sighed. “You’ll find out eventually,” she said. By her expression, Ryan concluded that she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Whatever you say, Tenchou,” Ryan grumbled. He really wanted to trust his boss, but already keeping secrets was kind of a red flag.

“You seem like a very kind young man-peko,” Pekomama said, trying to lighten up the mood.

“O-oh,” ominous prophetic messages instantly forgotten, Ryan’s face immediately reddened. Even after all these years, he still sucked at taking compliments. Probably because he never received much of them in the first place. “Thank you…”

“It’s just the truth-peko,” Pekomama smiled, putting a hand over her mouth.

“What about me?” Kiara pouted. “I want compliments too!”

“Well, Kiara-chan, you are very cute-peko,” Pekomama even put a hand on Kiara’s head, rubbing it a little, causing Kiara to giggle excitedly as a response. For some reason, Ryan felt a twinge of jealousy. He suppressed on the thought of a billionaire CEO acting like a lost puppy begging for pats.

At that moment, Ryan shuddered. He felt as if being watched. He looked over at Kiara, who seemed to be looking at the door, her eyes wild with fear. Ryan honestly wondered what could scare her, considering the giant scythe and the eldritch tentacles from the day before failing to even faze her. She followed her eyes to see a girl with long, purple hair and a gaze that could kill a dragon piercing Kiara with her eyes. She slowly entered the room, extending her arm to her side diagonally. A white light started to glow as a rapier formed into her grip. As the light faded into a powerful blue aura surrounding the blade, she pointed it at Kiara. “She’s mine.”

Kiara took the badge from her shirt and the little badge on her belt and held them in front of her. One of the badges blazed to life, creating a plasma sword that was shaped like a lance if it was a bladed weapon rather than a cone. The other formed into a shield, the few solid parts being weaved together with energy. “Don’t take my senpai away from me!”

Ryan turned to Pekora and Pekomama. While Pekomama looked thoroughly distressed, Pekora didn’t do much other than nervously laugh. “Well would you look at the time-peko!” Pekora grabbed her mother’s arm and snapped her fingers, a blinding blue light shining throughout the establishment. Ryan averted his eyes, and by the time he looked back, Pekora and Pekomama were gone.

“You’re safe for now,” The purple haired girl growled at Kiara. “But believe me, I will be eating fried chicken tonight.”

“If so, please remember that we are selling our Phoenix Fire Chicken combo for only 850 yen!” Ryan said, putting on his best customer service voice. What the hell was he doing? The crazy girl had a sword! He was going to die because he made some cheeky joke to a psychopath.

 _Oh well,_ Ryan resided to his fate. _If I go out, I might as well go out laughing._

The crazy girl just gave Ryan a look before turning around and stalking off, weapon in hand. Ryan gave a deep sigh of relief as she faded from view. Kiara, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

“Jeez, kid! You have spunk!” Kiara said between laughs, slapping Ryan on the back.

“Don’t call me a kid,” Ryan grumbled. “You look younger than me.”

“I’m much older than I look,” Kiara said matter-of-factly. “Plus, you shouldn’t bring up a woman’s age, ya know? You’re never going to get a girlfriend like that.”

“I don’t even want a-“ Ryan cut himself off when he realized who he was talking to. “Oh crap.”

“That’s two hours of overtime for you!”

* * *

Ryan forced himself to take another step. The bed was only three feet away. He could do this. He crouched, as if preparing to hunt a piece of prey before lunging towards the bed. Of course, he didn’t end up lunging. What he did was more akin to stumbling and tripping onto the bed.

“Finally,” Ryan groaned as his muscles seared in pain. “I can sleep.”

As if the universe was trying to play some sort of sick joke on him, Ryan heard a knock on the door at that very moment.

“Ugh, death take me now,” Ryan grumbled. Meanwhile, a pink-haired reaper cringed.

He stumbled over to the door and opened it. “Man, can this wait until tomorrow?” He said before looking at the person at the door. To his surprised, it was a man fully armed in SWAT gear. What the hell did the police want with him? He certainly wasn’t dangerous enough to warrant a SWAT team.

“Hello, I am from the Magical International Liberation Foundation, otherwise known as MILF,” the man said. Ryan had to remind himself the man had an automatic rifle when he said the abbreviation. “We have reason to believe that you have made contact with a large number of magical beings. Is this true? And if so, would you happen to know their location?”

What. The. Hell. First the phone number, then the schedule, now this. Fool him once, shame on you. Fool him twice, shame on him. Fool him three times, and he was growing tired of this stuff _real_ quick. He then thought of the repercussions of his next action. These guys were probably with the United Nations. The United Nations wanted to eradicate magical beings to return to the status quo.

Ryan remembered the past two days. They had been exceedingly weird, definitely life threatening, and had been more work that Ryan had ever put in his life. Despite that, he remembered everyone that had come in. Gura’s innocent smile, Ame’s constant desire to “ground pound” his mom (whatever that meant), Calli’s antics, Ina’s bad jokes, Pekora’s quirky laugh, Pekomama’s gentle smile, and Kiara. Kiara had given Ryan a chance when most of society would scoff at him. Most of society did. Even his parents didn’t really like him, but yet he found peace at his new job. Well, as peaceful as having his life threatened at least once a day. _Ah, sod it,_ he thought.

“Sir, this is a KFP drive-thru,” Ryan deadpanned. Again, if he was going to go out, he was going to go out laughing.

“I guess that is a no,” the man said. Ryan gave him a nod. “I see, thank you for your cooperation.”

The man closed the door and Ryan sighed again with relief as he heard the footsteps fade. This probably wasn’t good. He needed to warn Kiara, but first, he needed rest. Today had been a hell of a day. He turned on his phone and looked at the lock screen, a girl with beautiful, long brown hair and dazzling blue eyes. "God, Sabrina," he sighed as he pocketed the phone and looked up at the ceiling. "What have I gotten myself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please do comment on which idols you would like to see me bring into the series, as well as your thoughts and inquiries. I love having discussions with my readers. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter.


	3. Cats and Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yubi Yubi!

Day Three: Cats and Dogs

“KIKKERIRIII~” Ryan resisted the urge to groan. The first time Kiara called him at five in the morning it was nice. He missed human interaction. Kiara was human, right? Regardless, if this continued, Ryan really needed to work on his sleep schedule.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan tried to keep the kindest voice he could early in the morning, which was a frustrated grumble.

“I’m going to be busy, so I’m opening up at 8, so you can sleep in!” Kiara chirped, ignoring Ryan’s frustrated tone.

“So, you called me at five in the morning to tell me I can sleep in,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Yep!” Ryan facefaulted onto the bed as the line went dead. This was going to be a good day.

-

Ryan walked down the street, an irritated look on his face. He wasn’t able to get a wink of sleep in those few hours. As soon as Kiara hung up, Ryan remembered the interaction he had the night before. He looked at his phone, the screen showing a contact name. “Sabrina Godson” it said.

As Ryan considered calling the number, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a girl with long, purple twin tails and a black cap. He had enough reason to be wary of yet another purple haired girl, considering the last one almost killed him, but he decided it would be rude to ignore her. “Did you need something, miss?”

“Uh…” the girl looked down before holding out a wallet. “Y-you dropped this!”

Ryan looked at the wallet before realizing it actually was his. His irritated expression softened. “Thank you,” he smiled at the girl. “Most people would have stolen it. You’re really nice, you know that?”

“No way I’m nice!” The girl pouted cutely, puffing out her cheeks. “I’m a-“

She stopped herself, causing Ryan to look at her. “I’m a prankster! Bye!” She shouted, running off. Ryan stood therefore a second, processing the whole event before checking his wallet. It was entirely possible that she could have stolen money. He counted the cash before realizing that he had about 2000 yen more than he brought along with him that day.

 _No way I’m nice she says,_ He chuckled to himself before walking off to work.

* * *

Towa stomped off back to her apartment complex. That kid had the _audacity_ to call her nice when she pranked him! She grumbled profanities, or the closest she would ever get to profanities as she opened the door. She needed to blow off some steam. She gently closed the door before walking over to her computer. No need to wake up the neighbors, even if she’s angry. As she turned it on, her phone started to ring. She looked at the phone before instantly accepting the call.

“Watame-san?” She asked, putting the phone to her ear.

“Towa-sama!” Watame said cheerily through the phone. “Did you hear? Kiara-chan opened a place where we all can come hang out.”

“Really?” Towa asked. It’s been a couple months since the two girls have met up in person. Off collabs were hard considering the fact that magical beings were actively being hunted by the government. A discreet way to meet up and hang out would be really nice.

“Luna-chan and I are going in a few days,” Watame continued. “Do you want to join us?”

“Sure!” Towa chirped. “I’ll see you then.”

When Watame cut the line, she smiled. She wasn’t that mad anymore. _I’m feeling gracious,_ the demon logged into her computer. Maybe a surprise stream? Yes, her fans would like that.

* * *

“TOWA-SAMA!” Ryan had to cover his ears as he entered the restaurant. Of course, Kiara was at it again. She was sitting on the counter, hunched over her phone, seemingly watching something.

“Hey, Tenchou,” Ryan walked over, intending to take a look at what she was screaming over. “What’s that?”

“Towa-sama graced us with a surprise karaoke,” Kiara swooned, causing Ryan to facepalm. “Come on! Let’s watch!” She grabbed Ryan’s arm as he approached and pulled him over to her. He took one look at the phone and realized who it was.

“Eh, it’s her?!” Ryan jumped a little in shock. Surely, she looked identical to the girl he met earlier, but now she looked like an anime girl.

“You met Towa-sama?” Kiara looked up from her phone as Towa’s voice rang throughout the room.

“She picked up my wallet earlier today and gave it back to me with 2000 extra yen,” Ryan explained.

“She probably pickpocketed you and put the money in,” Kiara replied, her smile growing soft. “She thinks doing that kind of stuff counts as pranks.”

“Huh,” Ryan rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “She sounds like a really nice person.”

“She was so nice she got kicked out of hell,” Kiara informed.

As Ryan was going to open his mouth, but the doors slammed open. “Yubi yubi!” A brown hair dog girl ran in, a huge smile on her face. As a certified weeb, Ryan had a soft spot for cat girls and dog girls, so naturally, his heart melted. It took everything for Ryan not to run over and give her a couple pats.

“Oh, Korone-senpai!” Kiara waved over the dog girl. “Towa-sama is doing a karaoke stream. Come watch with us!”

“Tenchou, we’re supposed to be working,” Ryan reminded her. “You should probably put away your phone.”

“No! Towa-sama is more important than work!” Kiara protested, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.

“Moring, Kiara-san,” Ryan was too focused on scolding his manager to notice the purple haired cat girl walking in the restaurant.

“Morning, Okayu-senpai!” Kiara smiled widely as the two girls took their seats.

A dog girl _and_ a cat girl? At that point, Ryan’s professionalism snapped. “Hello, my name is Ryan Shade,” he introduced himself. “I’m sorry if this may seem weird, but can I give you two some pats?”

Unfortunately, Ryan didn’t see the shock and horror on Kiara’s face as Korone opened her mouth. As Korone started to speak, Okayu was the one to cut in, a devilish smirk on her face. “Of course you can!” she said, her smile turning brighter. “I’m sure Koro-san is really craving pets right now.”

“Yubi yubi!” Korone flashed an irresistible smile.

“T-that means pets,” Okayu said.

 _Well, if she says so,_ Ryan moved his hand to Korone’s head, ignoring all reason. By reason, he means Kiara screaming at him in the background. As soon as he placed his hand on Korone’s head, a bright blue light enveloped the room, causing Ryan to avert his eyes with his hands.

When the light faded, Ryan opened his eyes and gasped. All ten of his fingers were gone. “WHAT THE HELL?!” He screamed before realizing something exceedingly weird. “Wait, I don’t feel any pain.”

“Your yubis are mine!” Korone chirped while opening her hands. All of Ryan’s fingers were there, a blue light covering the part where they cut off. “Don’t worry, I’ll give them back to you later.”

Ryan looked at Kiara, as if expecting an explanation. “I guess I’ll prepare their meals, then,” she sighed. “You can’t really cook without your fingers.”

He then turned to Okayu, who was obviously trying to ignore him. “Wow, Koro-san,” she looked at the dog, who was now playing with Ryan’s fingers. “You really got that space-time magic under control.”

“Yup!” Korone smiled at her companion. “I had to practice a lot!”

Ryan shuddered for some reason. The dog girl was adorable, but the stealing of fingers was… kind of morbid. “Excuse me,” he said, clearing his throat to get the attention of the two girls. “May I take your order?”

“Yubis!” Korone chirped, holding out a handful of Ryan’s fingers, causing him to shudder. Shoving Ryan’s own severed fingers in front of him while taking her order to eat only succeeded in unnerving Ryan more.

“I’ll have some fish,” Okayu said. “Koro-san, it’s rude to shove things in people’s faces.”

“Oh!” Korone lowered her head, as if shoving the fingers in Ryan’s face was more of a crime than stealing them in the first place. “I’m sorry!”

“Uh…” Ryan looked at Kiara, who shot him a glare before walking off to prepare the food. He looked back at Korone. “It’s okay..?”

“Yay!” Korone threw both of her hands in the air in celebration, Ryan’s fingers still in her hands.

Ryan looked at Okayu. “Is this normal?”

Okayu nodded. “Koro-san is… really eccentric,” she looked fondly at the dog girl.

“I see,” Ryan said, looking at his fingerless hands.

“Most people look at dog girls and cat girls with disgust,” Ryan looked up to see Okayu looking at him, as if she was trying to read him. “We’re faring better than other magical creatures, but still.”

Ryan sighed, knowing what she was implying. He really did hate how divided the magical and non-magical community. “I don’t know if there’s something about being productive during the coming out, but I didn’t really don’t mind all of you,” Ryan was actually a NEET when magical communities tried to integrate themselves, and for some reason, he is the only person he knows that doesn’t really mind them. “As long as I they don’t set me on fire with their minds or wring me for blood or something, I’m fine with them.”

“I see,” Okayu nodded. “Kiara-san really picked a special one.”

“What’s all with this special stuff?” Ryan threw his hands up in exasperation. “Tenchou refuses to tell me anything about it and Usada-san told me the same thing yesterday!”

“You are special,” Korone said in broken English as s pointed at Ryan with his own finger.

“You’ll find out eventually,” Okayu said as Kiara came back with a plate of sashimi and some roasted human fingers.

“Where the heck did you get the fingers?” Ryan asked her as she set the plates down.

“Magic,” Kiara replied, as if it answered everything

“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled when something popped in his head. “Hey, Tenchou. The MILF stopped by yesterday.”

“Oh, them?” Kiara looked at him, concerned, before smiling, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay…” Ryan said, shuffling uncomfortably.

“Thank you for the food!” Okayu smiled. Ryan’s eyes widened in shock as he realized both Korone and Okayu already cleaned their plates.

“Thank you for coming!” Kiara chirped as they left.

“This is the third time someone has left without pay,” Ryan sighed.

“Don’t worry, you’ll still get paid,” Kiara said as she walked towards the break room.

“That’s not the problem,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head when he realized his fingers were returned. “Do you guys think _all_ humans are that shallow?”

* * *

Jerry was walking home from a KFP with some fried chicken in his hands. Being a member of MILF’s elite forces was very taxing and he was ready for a day off. He sighed as he turned the door handle to his apartment and opened the door. When a tall, pink haired woman with a scythe revealed herself to be inside Jerry’s apartment, Jerry pulled out the pistol he always kept on him and fire.

“Guh,” the woman deadpanned as the bullet passed right through her stomach, leaving a black mist in her wake.

“Who the hell are you?!” Jerry shouted, unloading his clip in distress.

“You know, I’m doing you a favor,” the girl sighed, spinning her scythe. Jerry watched in intrigue as it went through his furniture, leaving all of it uncut. “The stupid bird would do something way worse to you for threatening her employees.”

Jerry opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when a blade of darkness came from her scythe, the blade flying straight through his neck.

The woman sighed as Jerry’s head fell to the floor. “You owe me for this, Kusotori.”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he laid on his bed. He loved working at KFP, but he missed the sense of normalcy. He looked at the contact on his phone. Should he call her? He sighed. “Well, might as well. Live today like a killer sheep will carve your heart out tomorrow. He pressed the button. After a few seconds, the call went to voicemail.

“Hey, Sabrina,” he said to the phone, sighing. “It’s been a year since I left, huh? I just wanted to call in to see how you’ve been. I got a job, you know. It’s been really interesting. I know you don’t mind these magical beings and all. You were nice to a freak like me. They’re really kind to me. My boss seems to be human, but I don’t really know. All the customers haven’t been human, though. They’re all really weird, but they’ve been good to me. Even the girl who stole my fingers,” Ryan chuckled a little bit at that. “Apparently she worked really hard to make the spell painless. They treated me better than any human has. Other than you, of course. Anyways, I know we didn’t leave on the right terms, but I miss you. Anyways, please call me back if you can. Or, if you want to, I guess. Bye, Sabrina.”

He hung up the phone before putting his arm over his eyes. He took a deep, shaky breath as a tear ran down his cheek. “God, what do I do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! as usual, please do request what idols I should add in the comments. I'm still watching some more fourth gen streams so I can refamiliarize myself with them, but we will be getting more fourth gen next chapter. Again, feel free to leave thoughts, critiques, and comments down below. I love having discussions about my fics. Thank you for reading.


	4. The Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RUSHIA BOING BOING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to do the gen 4 chapter today, but as I was writing it, I realized how little I knew about most of Gen 4. I'm going to take a few days, maybe watch a few more streams before I decide to write it. Thank you for your patience.

Day Four: The Day Off

The phone, yet again, woke up Ryan. Today was Saturday, so Ryan was sleeping in. Hope flashed in his eyes. Was Sabrina calling him back? He grabbed the phone and looked at it, but it wasn’t Sabrina’s contact. His shoulders slumped, but he accepted the call anyways.

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara shouted through the phone.

“What do you want?” Ryan growled through the phone. After a couple seconds of silence, Ryan realized that he might have been too aggressive. Despite the phone calls, Kiara didn’t really do anything to warrant such a reaction. Other than keeping secrets from him, but “special” could really mean everything. Perhaps it could have been an inside joke. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“You alright?” Kiara asked. Ryan didn’t miss the genuine worry coming through her voice, which only succeeded in making him feel worse.

“Yeah, I’m alright, I just didn’t sleep well,” Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t exactly wrong. Ryan has been a card-carrying insomniac for a couple years now. He’s been trying to fix his sleep schedule, but instead of sleeping, he would often stay up at night with his thoughts when trying to sleep. With Ryan, that wasn’t healthy at all. “What did you need?”

“Hey, why don’t you come down to the restaurant,” Kiara replied. Ryan was going to say something, but Kiara continued. “You don’t have to work today, but maybe spending time with others might get your mind off things.”

“That,” Ryan was going to reject her offer, but thought about it. He spent the better part of a whole year alone. More often than not, he was wallowing in his own thoughts and demons. He hates to admit it, but the past few days have been the happiest he’s been in month. Despite the secrecy, people telling him that he was special made him feel good. He felt valued. Maybe spending time at the KFP would be a good idea. “Would be nice. I’ll be there in a few.”

“Alright! I’ll prepare you some food!” Kiara chirped, cutting the line before Ryan could say anything in protest. He sighed, forcing himself out of bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in America, a girl no older than seventeen or eighteen stood over several piles of ash. She felt her phone vibrate and sighed, cancelling the fire spell placed on her hand before grabbing the phone in her back pocket. She looked at the phone. “One missed call: Edhas”.

She smiled.

* * *

“RUSHIA IS BOING BOING!” Ryan had to cover his ears as he entered the restaurant. He looked over to the counter and saw Kiara laughing joyously, Calli, a short, green-haired girl who was continuing her tirade, and a red-haired girl who Ryan swore had stiches on her skin.

“Morning,” Ryan walked over and sat next to Calli and sighed.

“Oh! I didn’t know the Holostars idols came here too!” The red-haired chirped. Ryan looked at the girl, confused. She had an eyepatch over her left eye and faded makeup on her face, reveal stitched, rotten flesh. Ryan pretended not to be disturbed by the sword that was stabbed through her temples, but that definitely wasn’t the case.

“What’s Holostars?” Ryan asked, confused. “I just work here. I’m on my day off.”

“Nah, they all hang out at Roberu-senpai’s bar,” Kiara got a tub of KFP Birb Legs and placed it in front of Ryan. “I mean, they’re welcome here, but I don’t know if they know about this place.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Ryan grumbled.

“Oh, can Tamaki-kun come?” The green-haired girl asked. Ryan looked over to see a small girl with short, green hair tied up in two buns. For some reason, her crimson eyes unnerved him. His instincts told him to run away before she ruthlessly slaughtered him, but he promised Kiara he would stay here and frankly, the crushing sense of guilt that he unnecessarily puts on himself would hurt far more than death.

“I’ll consider it,” Kiara said. “As long as you don’t kill anyone again.”

“Watame-san respawned!” The green-haired girl protested. “And she was asking for it! No one gets to look at Tamaki-kun like that except me!”

“You can kill me, Rushia-senpai~” The red-haired girl swooned, closing her eyes and putting her hands on her cheeks as she swayed side to side.

“Ollie,” Calli groaned, reaching over to swat the Ollie zombie on the back of the head. “Sensei jumped through many hoops to let you stay here. Stop trying to sacrifice your life to simp.”

“But Calli-senpai~” Ollie whined. “I’m immortal!”

“No, you’re not,” Callie facepalmed.

Ryan looked at Kiara pleadingly who just giggled. “Rushia-senpai, Ollie-chan, you haven’t introduced yourself to my little egg yet.”

“Little egg?” Ryan shot Kiara a look, but she ignored him, pouring another glass for Calli.

“Oh!” Ollie hit her forehead with her palm, looking shocked before looking at Ryan, a bright smile on her face. “Nice to meet you! I’m the world’s number one zombie idol Kurrrreiji Ollie!”

“Oh, hello!” Rushia lowered her head in greeting. “My name is Uruha Rushia the super sexy boing boing necromancer!”

“Uh…” Ryan thought about correcting her, but those crimson eyes of hers made him considered otherwise. “Sure…”

“See?!” Rushia shot her head up and whirled towards Kiara, jutting a finger at Ryan. “He gets it!”

“Uh…” Ryan looked around uncomfortably.

“Rushia-senpai, he hasn’t introduced himself,” Kiara chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

“Oh!” It was Rushia’s turn to hit her forehead with her palm. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively. He was rapidly getting used to these kinds of things. “I’m Ryan Shade. I’m an employee here. I would say I’m nothing special, but someone,” he shot a look at Kiara, “tends to disagree.”

“I’m sorry,” Kiara looked down, looking genuinely ashamed. “I’m not allowed to tell.”

Ryan sighed, as he saw Calli shuffled nervously. “It’s okay,” he smiled. “Secrets aside, you are still my best friend. Even if we’ve only known each other for a few days.”

“Really?!” Kiara’s eyes shot up before diving over the counter, tackling Ryan in a hug. “Thank you!”

Ryan was about to say something when he felt a murderous gaze on him. He started to sweat as he saw Calli giving him a death glare, her hand inching dangerously towards her scythe. “Uh Tenchou?” He gently nudged his boss. “I think Calliope-san will kill me if you don’t get off.”

“Calli you _do_ love me!” She instantly did a 180 and tried to tackle Calli but ended up colliding with her outstretched palm.

“Guh!” Calli’s murderous gaze softened, despite the murderous hint in her voice. “Get the f-word off, Kusotori!”

“But Calli~” Kiara whined, making a smoochy face.

“Tenchou, you’re still on the clock,” Ryan sighed.

“Oh!” Kiara jumped over the counter and smiled at Ryan. “Thanks for reminding me!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan waved his hand again.

“Hey, Ryan,” Rushia tugged at his hoodie, catching his attention. “Do you love me?”

“Wha?” Ryan looked at her, confused. “Where did this come from?”

“Rushia-senpai~!” Ollie cried, crocodile tears pouring from her eyes. “I love you~! Why are you giving him all the attention~?”

“Do you?” Rushia asked sweetly, looking up at Ryan.

“Um…” Ryan rubbed the back of his head, thinking of a response. “I’m not looking for something like that right now…”

“Really?” Rushia’s gaze instantly changed. The light in her eyes faded as her smile turned psychotic. “Are you sure about that?”

Ryan looked towards Kiara, who sighed and shrugged. “Can’t help you here, little egg.”

“Don’t call me that!” Ryan momentarily forgot the situation he was in when those two words came out of the CEO’s mouth.

“Why are you talking to other girls, Ryan-kun?” Rushia said, her voice shaking. Ryan never liked having suffixes attached to his name. As someone who was born in America, suffixes sounded weird with his name. “Why aren’t you talking to me?”

“Rushia-senpai,” Ryan’s new guardian angel, Calli pulled Rushia off of the KFP employee. “What would Tamaki-kun say if he caught you like this?”

“Oh!” The light found its way back into Rushia’s eyes as she looked at Calli. “Thank you! I’m sorry, Ryan-kun!”

“Please, just Ryan,” Ryan held his hand up. “It’s fine. Just don’t kill me in my sleep please.”

“No promises~” Rushia’s eyes turned scary again.

“Rushia-senpai, remember what I said about killing my employees?” Kiara said, karate chopping Rushia’s head as she scolded her like she was a mother scolding her child.

“Don’t do it unless I want to feel the flames that my summons feel,” Rushia droned on as if she was a child forced to recite a moral of a fairy tale.

“I think I should go,” Ryan said, finishing the last of his chicken. He took out his wallet and took out the 2000 yen that Towa had given him the day before. “Keep the change.”

“Bye Ryan!” Kiara called as he stood up to leave. “I’ll call you tomorrow!”

* * *

As Ryan was walking home, he suddenly felt a shudder down his back. He turned around and saw a man of Asian descent who looked in his mid-thirties or forties. He was never really that good at judging age. They locked eyes for a second before Ryan turned around. Probably just some random person. He opened the door to his apartment complex. Time for a nap.

* * *

YAGOO turned around as the boy walked into his apartment complex. He sighed. He took out his phone and dialed a number. After three seconds, someone picked up.

“How’s the kid?” The person on the other side asked.

“He’s doing fine. I don’t think we need to worry about him for now,” YAGOO replied.

“And his magic?” The man asked.

“Nonexistent,” YAGOO sighed. “Why are you making me look after this kid? Look, Kiara already took him under her wing. There’s no reason for me to look after him at this point.”

“Trust me,” the person on the other side said. “He’ll become valuable later on.”

“Whatever you say,” YAGOO hung up the phone. That guy… how troublesome. He turned around and walked away. As a gust of wind blew behind him, he was gone.

* * *

Ryan flopped on the bed before looking at his phone. Maybe he should call Sabrina again. Even if she didn’t pick up, it was good to talk about his day. At least he was venting to someone. As expected, the line went to voicemail after a few seconds.

“Hey, Sabby,” Ryan sighed as the tone rang. “I got the day off today, but I still ended up going to KFP anyways. I met two new people today. Ollie seemed nice if a bit energetic. Rushia totally seems like a yandere. Luckily, Calliope-san was able to divert her attention. I don’t know, but I think Tenchou and Calliope-san are a thing. Calliope-san may act like she doesn’t like Tenchou, but I can see through it. She’s a textbook tsundere. Anyways, Ollie had an eyepatch. I don’t know why, but it reminded me of something. I don’t know what, but something flashed through my head. I don’t expect you to know what it means, but I just wanted to get it out. Anyways, that’s all. Please call back. I miss you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hmm, what could YAGOO possibly want with Ryan? Who was the other person on the phone? It seems like things are starting to ramp up. First MILF looking for Ryan, but now YAGOO on the other side of things. What do you think is going to happen? Again, I'm always open to discussions about my fics and other things. I'm considering a FBK chapter next, but I'm not completely sure. Anyways, thank you for reading!


	5. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No waifu! We are friends!

Day Five: Friendship

Ryan wasn’t able to bother with sleep that night. He had spent the night logging his feelings on his computer as a way to vent. Even though he started to befriend the different people who stopped by the KFP and even considered opening up to his boss a little bit, but trust came hard for Ryan. After he finished journaling, he decided to spend the rest of the night gaming and watching YouTube. After a few hours, he checked his phone. 4:45 am. Kiara usually called him at 5 am, so he decided to leave early. As he got ready to leave, he thought back on Kiara’s calling habit. She called him at 5 am, every day. Almost like clockwork, and yesterday’s call proved that she wasn’t using an automated bot to call him. He sighed, dismissing Kiara’s antics as just that as he made another right turn. As he turned, he jumped back, almost running into a tall woman with long, orange hair.

“Woah!” She jumped back as well, her eyes meeting Ryan’s. After a couple seconds of silence, a smile on her face. “Good morning Motherf**er!”

“Uhh,” Ryan wanted to tell her off but was too passive to do so. “Morning?”

“Name’s Kiryu Coco,” The woman smiled, holding out her hand.

“Ryan Shade,” Ryan shook her hand.

“Oh! I have something to do!” Coco’s eyes widened as a lightbulb went off in her head. She dug in her back pocket and pulled out an energy drink, handing it to Ryan. “Please take this!”

Ryan looked at the can. “Asacoco Energy Drink,” he read aloud. He really didn’t want to accept it, but again, was too passive to turn it down. “Thank you.”

“No problem!” She turned around and ran off.

“Huh,” he shrugged. “That was a weird experience.”

* * *

Ryan had been sitting by the entrance of his place of work, staring at the energy drink. He was debating whether or not to drink it when Kiara came over with her phone out.

“Oh!” She smiled as she saw Ryan. “You’re here early!”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Ryan held the energy drink up, looking at the nutrition facts. “Decided to come here early.”

“Wait,” As Kiara saw the logo on the energy drink, she audibly gasped. “Where did you get your hands on Asacoco? That’s a very dangerous drug, you know?”

“Oh, some woman named Kiryu Coco gave it to me,” Ryan answered casually. After dealing with yandere necromancers and space-time finger-removing magic, getting handed contraband for free wasn’t too surprising anymore. “Wait, this energy drink is a drug?”

“You ran into Kaichou?” Kiara asked, again completely shocked. “She’s currently the head of the yakuza, you know.”

“What,” Ryan looked up to meet Kiara’s eyes. Now that was shocking. Good thing he didn’t cuss her out.

“I’m sure you’ll see her around here soon,” Kiara smiled softly at her employee, moving over to unlock the door.

“Why am I not even surprised anymore?” Ryan grumbled as he tossed the drink in the trash, following Kiara in the store. “Anyways, let’s get to work.”

* * *

Ryan looked at his phone as he finished buttoning up his vest. The color didn’t really match his hair well. “I need to ask Tenchou for a cap sooner or later,” he said to himself as he cracked his back.

He stepped out to see a fox (cat?) girl already sitting on the counter. Her white hair was tied in a braid on her left side and didn’t go lower than her upper back. She wore what looked to be a navy-blue uniform with a black and blue katana sheathed securely on her hip. At this point, he’s seen enough weapons in this establishment to stop questioning things anymore. “Welcome to KFP,” Ryan walked over to the counter. Kiara seemed to be in the back grilling something, so he might as well talk to the customer. “My name is Ryan Shade. How may I help you?”

“Hi friend!” The fox-cat hybrid chirped happily. “I’m Skirakami Fubuki! Nice to meet you?”

“Nice to meet you too,” Ryan smiled at the girl. “I’m sorry to ask, but are you a fox or a cat? I don’t want to offend anyone.”

“I’m a fox!” Fubuki’s smile instantly turned into an adorable pout. “I’m not a cat!”

“She’s a cat!” Ryan could hear Kiara’s voice from the back room.

“I’ll take your word for it, Shirakami-san,” Ryan said.

“Call me Fubuki,” Fubuki said, her heart-melting smile returning. Ryan wanted to give her pats, but his experience with Korone sufficiently deterred him from trying that.

At that point, Kiara returned with five hamburgers. “Here’s your order, Fubuki-senpai.”

“Thank you, Kiara-chan!” Fubuki took one of the burgers and started to wolf (fox?) it down.

“Hey, Tenchou,” Ryan’s eyes flicked over to his employer. “Why do you keep calling everyone senpai? Just curious.”

Fubuki said something, but Ryan wasn’t able to determine what she was saying through the burgers, in which she had already finished her second one. “I want to wait and see how long it’ll take for you to find out,” Kiara winked at Ryan.

“So it’s a secret,” Ryan grumbled.

“Nope!” Kiara chirped, ever so cheery. “It’s easy to find. I just want to see how long it’ll take for you to find out.”

As Ryan opened his mouth to talk, footsteps could be heard approaching, along with a girl’s voice. “Fubuki, Fubuki, Fubuki, FUBUKI!” A girl with brown hair, aquamarine eyes, and the derpiest expression on her face barged into the establishment, making a b-line towards Fubuki. As the girl jumped to tackle Fubuki, the fox girl expertly dodged her by changing seats one to her right. Kiara grabbed the badge on her belt and let her shield open up just in time for the girl’s face to collide with it with a sickening thud.

“Nice of you to join us, Matsuri-senpai!” Kiara exclaimed as if she didn’t just shield bash the person she was addressing.

“Oh!” Matsuri took a seat, her derpy, slack jawed expression unchanging as if nothing happened. “Hi, Kiara-chan! Who’s this?”

Ryan awkwardly waved as the girl’s attention shifted to him. “Name’s Ryan Shade. I work here, apparently, though I feel like I deserve a raise for getting my fingers stolen.”

“I see you’ve met Korone-chan already,” Matsuri nodded knowingly. “My name is Natsuiro Matsuri! By any chance, do you know any lolis?”

“Sorry, I’m not a creep,” Ryan said without a second thought. “Something tells me Tenchou here knows where you can find some, though.”

“Hey!” Kiara puffed her cheeks out at Ryan. “He’s not wrong though…”

“I know that!” Matsuri exclaimed before turning to Fubuki. “Do you know any lolis?”

“Matsuri-san, we know the same people,” Fubuki deadpanned, which somehow still came out as adorable.

“Ah,” Matsuri’s expression became immediately blank. “You’re right.”

Ryan couldn’t help but snicker at this. “What would you like to eat, Natsuiro-san?”

“Anything sweet!” Matsuri exclaimed cheerily.

Ryan looked at his boss. “There’s doughnuts in the back,” Kiara said. “Can you bring them out?”

“Doughnuts!” Matsuri squealed.

“There were doughnuts, and you didn’t tell me?” Ryan looked visibly hurt.

“I ordered them for Matsuri-senpai, not you,” Kiara said simply. “If you wanted some, you could have asked.”

Ryan sighed. At least she wasn’t playing favorites as apparently Matsuri had asked for doughnuts beforehand. He trudged along to the back where he saw two boxes of doughnuts sitting there. He gulped down some saliva, forcing his desire to commit petty theft down with it as he grabbed the doughnuts and walked back out, placing the boxes in front of Matsuri. “Here’s your doughnuts.”

“Yay!” Matsuri eagerly opened one of the boxes and started to dig in.

“More burgers!” Fubuki smiled cutely as she extended the empty plate out towards Ryan.

“I guess I’ll make them this time since you made them last time, Tenchou,” Ryan took the plate before smiling at Fubuki. “How many would you like, Fubuki-san?”

“Ten!” Fubuki chirped, her smile only widening.

“TEN?!” Ryan exclaimed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

“You should really join me at Fox Burger King,” Fubuki managed as she scarfed down her sixth burger.

“Are you trying to steal my employees, Fubuki-senpai?!” Kiara cried, visibly taken aback.

“Don’t worry,” Ryan chuckled a bit into his hand. “I’m loyal to you, Tenchou.”

“Ryan…” Kiara’s eyes sparkled as she attempted to tackle Ryan into a hug. Already expecting this, he dodged her assault, leaving her to crash onto the floor.

At that moment, a familiar shark girl decided to kick the doors open. “OOCHA!” She exclaimed as the doors flew open. “What’s up, chumbuckets!”

“Ah, good…” Ryan looked at his phone. Damn, it was only 8 am? Well, he had already been there for three hours. “Morning, Gura-san.”

“Hi Fubuki-senpai! Matsuri-senpai! Kiara! Ryan!” Gura took a seat beside Matsuri. “How have your mornings been?”

“Tiring,” Ryan said out of instinct.

“Fun!” Fubuki chirped.

“Good!” Kiara smiled at her friend.

“LOLI!” Matsuri practically screamed. She tried to hug Gura, but the shark girl was quicker. She quickly pivoted to the side before chomping down on Matsuri’s arm.

“Fighting is okay, but we’re not having any assault cases like last time,” Kiara said as Matsuri screamed in pain. Fubuki had taken it upon herself to heal her friend’s wounds, using a sort of white fire to cover the wounds as they started to close in an accelerated rate.

“I don’t even want to know what last time you’re referring to,” Ryan said, his palm already on his face as he shook his head disapprovingly.

“I’m sure you don’t,” Kiara nudged Ryan with her elbow.

“BANANA!” Korone burst through the doors randomly. Ryan, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the yubi-stealing dog, instantly darted to the back and got a small bunch of bananas before putting it on the counter, which Korone appeared in front of faster than anyone can react, swiping the bananas. As soon as she grabbed the fruits, a bright flash enveloped the room, causing everyone to avert their eyes. By the time everyone was able to open their eyes again, the puppy was gone.

“Excuse me,” Ryan held up his hands in confusion, “but what the hell just happened?”

“Don’t ask,” all of the girls said simultaneously. Even Fubuki in her cheery self was able to pull off a completely blank expression.

“What’s up, gamers!” Amelia opened the doors and plopped right next to Gura. “I’ve been looking for you, Gura!”

“Well, ya found me!” Gura shot Amelia a playful look. “What are you gonna do now?”

“I’m going to…” Amelia at that time decided to tackle Gura. “Tickle you!”

“No! Wait!” Gura tried to struggle, but it was too late. Amelia had already found all her ticklish spots. She started laughing hysterically as Amelia started to tickle her, causing everyone to laugh.

Ryan smiled softly at the scene. Ever since he got this job here, things have been going great. It was completely different from America. He had found a home, a job, and most importantly, he found friends.

* * *

Ryan sat on his bed, smiling fondly as the day flashed through his mind. It had been a good day, no denying that. He decided to call up Sabrina again. He was almost certain that she wouldn’t pick up, but he was in a good mood.

“Hello?” He said as soon as the tone rang, letting Ryan know he could start his voicemail. “Hey, Sabrina. I miss you. You probably blocked my number awhile ago, but I’m still gonna call every day anyways. It’s kind of therapeutic for me, you know? Anyways, I had a good day today. Work doesn’t seem as much like work anymore instead of just a hangout with friends. I’m getting better at talking to people and my anxiety is getting better. I don’t know, but I think taking this job was really good for me. I really do hope you pick up, though. Even though I met all these new people and experienced all these new things, I still miss you. So please, call back.”

As he hung up the phone, he collapsed onto the bed. The call didn’t really kill his mood or anything, but he was still extremely exhausted. He hadn’t slept in almost 48 hours. He closed his eyes as sleep overtook him. He was thankful that he was able to fall asleep easily tonight. Maybe he could sleep soundly.

* * *

Meanwhile, a brown-haired girl sat on her bed, listening to a voice message on her phone. When she started to listen, a smile instantly formed itself, but as the voicemail continued, her smile started to turn sad. As the voicemail finished, she took off her earphones and sighed wistfully.

“I miss you too,” she said, a sad smile on her face as she looked up at the bulbs lighting up her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm currently thinking of doing a Holohouse chapter next, but that can easily change. Feel free to comment as always. I love discussing my fics. Also, for anyone who asks, my new hololive fic "Together" is in the same universe as this one, so all worldbuilding done in this fic applies to that one and vice versa. Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to follow my content.


	6. A Day Off (For Real this Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FAQ!

Day Six: A Day Off (for real this time)

Ryan had gotten to the point where he wasn’t even phased by the phone call. He even set up the ringtone to sound like an alarm so it would wake him up better. He sat up as soon as the phone started to ring, instantly awake. When he answered the phone, he put the phone about half a foot away from his ear to preserve his hearing, but the morning call Kiara always used did never came. Instead, a loud explosion could be heard from the other end of the phone.

“Tenchou?” Ryan asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what was going on. “Are you alright?”

“Oh, morning!” Kiara’s cheery voice was heard over another explosion and several screams of pain. “Uhh, I’m kind of busy right now!”

“I can tell,” Ryan deadpanned as gunfire could be heard on the other side of the phone. “What are you even doing?”

“I’m uhhh… playing Call of Duty with Calli! Yeah, let’s go with that!” As if on cue, a scream of agony could be heard as well as a barely audible “Don’t touch my wife!”

“Was that Calli?” Ryan asked.

“Was it?” Ryan could almost see the expression on Kiara’s face. “OhmygoshshelovesmeIhavetogohavethedayoffbye!”

With that, the line went dead. Ryan sighed. What was he going to do now? He put the phone back on his nightstand and plopped back on his bed. Maybe he could decide that in a couple of hours.

* * *

When Ryan woke up again, the first thing he checked was his phone for the time. 9:46 am. He stood up and got out of bed, assessing his options. He could stay home and rot away as he usually does or go outside and actually do something with his life.

 _I’m Vitamin D deficient anyways_ , Ryan thought to himself as he got out of bed, cracking his back. Maybe he could go somewhere and make friends outside of work, or if he was lucky, run into someone he met at work. For some reason, Ryan had the impression that Amelia knew a _lot_ of people. He put on his hoodie and grabbed his wallet. It was time to go.

* * *

Ryan found himself roaming the streets, going wherever his feet took him. After a couple hours of walking, he had a bag filled with two decks of trading cards, a couple notebooks, some pencils, and about seven issues of varying manga. He sighed as he calculated his funds. _Damn, I really need to stop impulsively spending money,_ he thought to himself. _I hope Tenchou pays soon. If not, I might be in a bit of trouble._

He then stopped walking and looked to his right to see a traditional shrine atop a hill, a large number of steps leading to it. Ryan wasn’t the most religious person, but he decided to stop by. Though he didn’t show it and sure as hell wouldn’t admit to it, he was concerned for his boss. _Honestly, she’s such a bad liar,_ he thought to himself, stifling a chuckle. He figured he could at least leave a prayer.

“Hey kid!” Ryan was snapped from his stupor as he heard a man call out. He turned to see a middle-aged man wearing torn and tattered clothes looking directly at him.

“What’s up?” Ryan asked.

“You shouldn’t go there,” the man advised, his raspy accent penetrating Ryan’s ears. “Apparently one of those _freaks_ is up there.”

Ryan’s eyebrow creased as the man emphasized the word. “What? It’s just rumors. I’ll be fine,” he said. Whether or not someone was there, he really didn’t care. The outcomes presented themselves in Ryan’s head. One, no one was there. Ryan reasoned that was the best one. Two, there _was_ someone there, but it would just be a normal shrine maiden or something like that. That wasn’t a big deal. Third, a supernatural being could be residing there, hoping not to be attacked. Either way, he would just remain neutral. He wouldn’t want to piss off whatever gods he would be praying to.

“Your funeral,” the man scoffed and walked away. Ryan sighed and started climbing the steps. Climbing the steps was a good opportunity for Ryan to reflect. As he climbed, he thought about the past few days. As he spent his time as a NEET, he developed several disorders as the isolation almost drove him insane. He wanted to go out and do things, but what happened before he moved to Japan plagued his mind too much.

 _Speaking of which, what_ did _happen before I moved here?_ Ryan thought to himself. He concentrated hard, trying to find the memories, but they never presented themselves. That was weird. _Why can’t I remember anything?_

Before he could ponder about his apparent amnesia, he found himself at the foot of the giant, red gate. He sighed and walked through. As he passed the gate, he stumbled a bit. The feeling was similar to when he was walking to work on his first day. When he looked up, he saw something that wasn’t there before, or rather, someone. A girl with short, pink hair and a shine maiden outfit was seen sweeping the area with a broom, her back facing Ryan.

“Uh…” Ryan thought of something to say but couldn’t. What was he supposed to say? A person literally just appeared in front of him.

“Ack!” The girl jumped, dropping her broom before turning around to face Ryan with a defensive stance. When she saw some teen with a grocery bag and his hands shoved in his hoodie pockets, she relaxed slightly, taking a more casual stance, though Ryan could tell she was ready to strike if needed. “Nyahello~! My name is Sakura Miko!”

“Ryan Shade,” Ryan introduced himself. “May I ask how you appeared in front of me?”

“I was going to ask how _you_ appeared in front of _me_ ,” Miko picked up her broom. “Only magical creatures with no ill intent can enter this space and I don’t sense any magic on you.”

“Apparently I’m ‘special’,” Ryan said “special” with air quotes. “I was just here to send a prayer for my Tenchou’s safety.”

“Oh, Kiara-chan?” Miko put a finger on her chin and looked up, as if she was thinking about something. “Ah! She should be fine. She has Calliope-chan with her.”

“You know Tenchou?” Ryan noticed how Miko pronounced “Calliope” a bit weird but shrugged it off. “Do you know what she’s doing right now?”

“It’s a secret!” Miko leaned forward slightly and put a finger to her lips, smile wide. “If she didn’t tell you, it was probably for a good reason.”

“Secrets, secrets,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

“So, if you know Kiara-chan, you must be that employee!” Miko said, her eyes drifting up and down Ryan’s form.

“That employee?” Ryan echoed. “Is she talking about me?”

“I-“ Miko’s mouth slammed shut. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s whatever,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively. “At least I mean enough to her for her to talk about me.”

“Do you like her?” Miko gave Ryan a suggestive look.

“Thank god I don’t,” Ryan said back. “I’m not sure if Calliope-san would let me live if I did.”

“Fair enough,” Miko smiled.

“Well, I’m going to go now,” Ryan turned around to leave.

“Weren’t you going to leave a prayer?” Miko asked.

“Eh, you can do it, it's not like I'm religious or anything,” Ryan shrugged. As Ryan left, he could hear a loud “FAQ!” In the distance.

* * *

Ryan spent the next few hours sitting at the park, pondering the previous conversation. _Jeez, how many people does Tenchou know?_ He thought to himself. She had connections everywhere, from famous rappers, to construction CEOs, to pro gamers, to a random shrine maiden from the middle of nowhere. He stood up as he watched the sun set. _Time to go home._

As he started to walk back to his apartment complex, something caught his eye. He turned to see an alleyway with three guys cornering a girl. The thugs weren’t what caught his eye. If anything, they seemed a bit unremarkable. He focused in on the girl who had sky-blue hair neatly tied into a ponytail. The thing that really unnerved Ryan was her eyes. He recognized the glint in her deep, blue eyes and he didn’t like where he recognized it from. He saw that glint in Calli’s eyes when someone got too close to Kiara or when some poor sod places their had on Korone’s head. There was no denying it. That girl was going to kill those three thugs.

Without thinking, Ryan threw his shopping bag aside and grabbed the head of the nearest thug, slamming his head into the wall. Now none of this was Ryan’s business, but he couldn’t leave those three men to die to whatever that girl’s murderous gaze foretold. The three people left conscious all turned to him in shock. As passive as Ryan was, he wasn’t a pushover when it came to fighting people. Sure, he wasn’t anything remarkable, but he taught himself to fight back when… that was weird. Ryan couldn’t remember when he taught himself how to fight. He landed an uppercut on the next thug’s stomach, only to slide backwards to land a roundhouse kick on his temple. As his foot landed, he spun on it and jumped up, kicking the man again with the same foot. As the man stumbled, hitting his head on the alley wall, Ryan took a step, letting his right foot cross his left before raising his left foot to kick the third thug square in the face. Before he could react, Ryan jumped up, kicking him in the chin, causing him to stumble backwards, unconscious.

He then stopped and turned towards the girl, panting as his adrenaline continued to spike. “Thank you for saving me,” the girl offered a sweet smile.

“I wasn’t saving you,” Ryan replied. His tone wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t exactly bright and cheery earlier. “I was saving them.” He gestured toward the thug behind him who was slumped on the floor.

“I see,” the murderous glint returned. “Do I have to kill you too?”

“I would rather you not,” Ryan sighed. His calmness in life threatening situations started to worry him. “If I die, I’m not sure I’m going to hear the end of it from my boss.”

The girl chuckled at that. “No, I guess not,” she replied. Ryan wondered if she knew Kiara, too, but pushed the thought away. That would be too much of a coincidence.

“Name’s Ryan Shade,” Ryan offered to shake her hand. “I would say it’s nice to meet you, but I’m not sure this is the best time to meet someone.”

“Hoshimachi Suisei,” the girl, now named Suisei shook Ryan’s hand. “I would love to stay and chat, but Anemachi would kill me if I arrived home late.”

“Well, see you, I guess,” Ryan waved his hand as he turned to leave.

“I have a feeling we will,” Suisei’s words caused Ryan to freeze. When Ryan turned to ask what she meant, she was gone. Replaced by a gust of wind.

“You know, I really hate it when people do that,” Ryan grumbled.

* * *

As Ryan entered his complex, a familiar blue haired girl smiled psychotically. She held out her hand, and with a gust of wind, a gigantic golden battle axe appeared in her hand. “Ryan Shade, huh?” She giggled. “Very interesting.”

* * *

Ryan’s apartment wasn’t far from the alleyway. He opened his apartment door and took off his shoes, getting a wet paper towel to clean them. He sighed as he scrubbed the blood off of his shoes before flopping on his bed. He took out his phone and dialed Sabrina’s number. He’s seen it enough to have it memorized at this point. As usual, it went to voicemail. Ryan wasn’t disappointed anymore at this point.

“Hey, Sabrina,” he said, more as an exasperated sigh rather than a greeting. “Well, I got into a fight today. Well, I’m not sure if you can consider it a fight. Those guys weren’t all too tough. If looks could kill, though, those thugs would have been dead thrice over from the look that one girl was giving her, though. Hell, they might have ended up dying if I didn’t step in. She kind of reminds me of you. Hey, remember when… wait a second…” Ryan rattled his head, trying to remember what he was going to say. “Weird… I don’t remember. That’s kind of ironic, huh? Anyways, I’m going to leave that there. I’ll call you tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight, Sabrina.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I ended up changing my mind and ended up having Ryan meet Miko and Suisei. I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyways! I wanted Ryan to do something other than just chill at KFP, so I decided to give him a day off. As always, I'm very excited to hear your feedback, so feel free to comment down below! Thank you for reading.
> 
> Also, for those of you reading "Together", I assure you a chapter is in the making. I've hit a tiny bit of a block, but with luck, I can have it out by tomorrow. Thank you for bearing with me.


	7. Duck, Duck, Goose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SHUBA SHUBA SHUBA SHUBA

Day 7: Duck, Duck, Goose

Ryan stayed up all night again. He had a ceaseless feeling that someone was watching him throughout the night, so he spent the first part of his night covering all the windows and double locking all the doors, but the feeling never ceased. He chalked it up to paranoia and decided to go to bed. As he tried to sleep, the tugging feeling of paranoia never left him. By the time the phone rang at 5 am, he had huge bags under his eyes, cold sweat running down his face. He heaved a monumental sigh of relief as he heard the ever-so-familiar ringtone that he set specifically for Kiara. He shot up, grabbing the phone and accepting it as fast as possible.

“KEKKERIKIII~” Kiara shouted through the phone.

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan tried his best not to sound tired but ended up sounding like someone who hasn’t slept in a month.

“You alright?” Kiara asked, concern rising in her voice. “Sounds like you’ve had a rough night.”

“I don’t know,” Ryan grumbled, scratching his head. “I just had this… terrible feeling of being watched.”

“It’s probably nothing- Oh! I got a text. Give me a second…” There were a couple seconds of silence as Kiara checked her text messages. “Ah, I see! Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her, so don’t worry!”

“Wait, there was someone watching me?!” Ryan exclaimed. As if on cue, he heard running and stumbling from outside. He ran over to the door and opened it, wildly looking around. When he didn’t see anyone, he narrowed his eyes, closing the door.

“No! What are you talking about?” Kiara denied profusely. “I was just talking to… the ghost! Yeah! The ghost…”

“Whatever you say,” Ryan grumbled, not believing a word. “I’ll be there in five. Please make sure I don’t get murdered by a psychopath wielding an axe.”

“No promises~” Kiara said suggestively before hanging up the phone.

Ryan groaned as he got his wallet. Today was going to be a rough day.

* * *

Thankfully, the feeling of being watched slowly started to subside as he headed towards work. He opened the door to see Kiara already preparing something in the back. “I was going to ask, Tenchou,” Ryan said as he headed over to the break room to change. “Where were you yesterday? Like, where were you _really_?”

“I was playing video games with Calli,” Kiara lied as naturally as she breathed.

“Tenchou, we both know that’s not true,” Ryan said through the door as he zipped up his pants. “I’m just worried about you. The last thing I want, or need is my manager with a bullet in her head. I don’t want to be nosy or anything, but I want you to be safe.”

“Everything is okay,” Kiara assured him as Ryan opened the door to face her, a reassuring smile on her face. “I promise not to do anything dangerous.”

“If you insist,” Ryan sighed. As he moved towards the counter, the door opened, and the oddest thing happened. A duck with a multicolored cap walked in. Ryan gaped in confusion as it walked over to the counted and flapped its wings, flying up to the seat, making eye contact with Kiara.

“Shuba Shuba Shuba!” The duck quacked, flapping its wings. Ryan turned his eyes towards Kiara, who smiled widely.

“Pipipii!” She chirped before going to the back. Ryan then turned to look at the duck, who looked back at him. He then looked at the clutter of feathers that was quickly forming on the floor below the duck disapprovingly.

“You know I’m going to have to clean that up, right?” He pointed at the mound of feathers. The two stared at each other, creating a considerable amount of tension before the duck arched its head backwards. Ryan was not prepared for what happened next.

“OMAEEEEEEEEE!!!” The duck yelled, its voice also human. If Ryan didn’t know any better, he would have guessed the duck was using a spell to amplify its volume. Ryan stumbled back, and invisible force pushing him back.

“Ow,” Ryan steadied himself on a counter. “That kinda hurt.”

“Sorry about that,” Ryan watched as the duck started to shift in shape until a girl took its place. Somehow, the baseball cap grew with her, covering a head with short hair going down to the middle of her neck. She wore a yellow and white striped shirt and short shorts. “Force of habit.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Ryan dusted off his uniform. “I’ve dealt with worse. Name’s Ryan Shade.”

“Oozora Subaru!” The girl shot her fist in the air, a bright smile on her face. Ryan smiled at her. How could he not? She was adorable.

“If _you_ didn’t light that guy on fire when he called you a kid, we would be on time!” A girl with pink hair wearing what looked like a maid uniform coming from sea snapped.

“NEEEEEE?!” Ryan wanted to call the small girl in a witch’s outfit a child, but his experiences with the super sexy boing boing Rushia deterred him. “If _you_ didn’t trip every other turn, we wouldn’t be late!”

“Welcome to KFP,” Ryan said, clearing his throat to catch their attention. “My name is Ryan Shade and I will be taking care of everything for you today.”

“A-ah!” The maid girl physically jumped back, waving her hands all over the place before bowing multiple times. “I-I’m sorry! My name is Minato Aqua! Thank you for having us!”

“Aqua, you need to stop doing that!” The smaller girl sighed, shaking her head. “Murasaki Shion.”

 _Kusogaki!_ Ryan instantly thought. He didn’t know why he thought that, but a gut feeling told him that this Shion person was a smug, cheeky, brat.

“Nice to meet you two,” Ryan smiled at the two as they took their seats beside Subaru.

“Yo Dayo!” With a puff of smoke, an Oni with white hair and red eyes jumped up out of nowhere, causing Ryan to jump. “What’s up humans?! Konnakiri! I’m Nakiri Ayame!”

“Welcome to KFP,” Ryan had to use every fiber of his being to stay professional as he felt his heart melting at the cuteness of the Oni. “My name is Ryan Shade. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nakiri-san.”

“Call me Ayame!” The Oni giggled.

 _-100 hp! Critical hit!_ Ryan stumbled back, clutching his chest. He lost all sense of professionalism as Ayame giggled, slowly curing all forms of negative emotions from his heart.

“Jeez, that’s an odd reaction,” Shion looked at him with disappointment. “You alright, kid?”

“You’re one to talk,” Ryan shot back, balancing himself.

“Listen here you little-“ As Shion jumped up, a wand appearing in her hand, Kiara burst out with several plates of food.

“Don’t set my employees on fire!” Kiara shouted, placing the food on the counter, placing the food in front of each person.

“This joke is _really_ getting old,” Aqua looked at the plate of chopped onions in front of her.

“Sugar?” Ayame titled her head cutely at Kiara.

“It’s because you’re so sweet!” Somewhere in this world, a Tako gave Kiara a thumbs up.

“Thank you, Kiara-chan!” Shion instantly started singing a different tune as a plate of cakes, pastries, and other sweets revealed itself.

“Shuba shuba shuba shuba shuba!” Subaru turned back into a duck as she saw the plate of duck food, digging right in.

“How do you know what everybody wants?” Ryan asked Kiara.

“I’m just that good!” Kiara winked at Ryan.

“Sure,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Shuba shuba!” Subaru said through mouthfuls of duck food.

“It _has_ been a while since we got together like this,” Aqua replied, speaking as if she understood the duck.

“Well, that’s all thanks to _someone,_ ” Shion glared at Aqua.

“Shuba shuba!” Subaru stopped eating to look at Shion.

“I guess we _do_ arrive everywhere together,” Shion grumbled, causing Ayame to giggle.

“I miss this!” She wrapped her arms around Subaru and Aqua. “You guys are so fun to hang out with!”

“Speaking of fun, where’s Choco-sensei?” Shion asked.

“What are you implying?” Kiara narrowed her eyes at Shion.

“She got turned down without a second thought,” Aqua said, causing everyone to laugh except Shion.

“NEEEEEE!” Shion shouted, a deathly glare piercing Aqua’s onion head.

As if on cue, the doors opened, revealing a rather… well-developed woman wearing a school nurse’s outfit.

“Hello~” She smiled as she walked over to the counter and to a seat before looking at Ryan. “Ara ara, what a coincidence~ It’s been a while, Ryan~”

“Have we met?” Ryan asked, concentrating on literally anything other than her oppais.

“You don’t remember?” She tilted her head, putting a finger on her chin. “I was your high school nurse back in America.”

“Don’t you work at a demon school?” Shion deadpanned.

“I was asked to transfer to America for a few years by Death-sama,” The woman replied. “I had to cut that term short, though due to a certain… incident.”

“Sorry, but I’m having some pretty bad problems with memory,” Ryan shook his head. “If we have met before, then I don’t remember.”

“Ah, I remember now,” the woman said, crossing her arms underneath her chest. “My name is Yuzuki Choco. You can call me Choco-sensei, though. We aren’t exactly strangers~”

“What exactly do you remember?” Ryan asked, his interest piqued.

“Er…” Choco looked rather uncomfortable, multiple sets of eyes on her.

“Choco-sensei!” Kiara interjected, as if to deliberately change the subject. “What would you like to eat?”

“I’m fine for now,” Choco gave Kiara a kind smile.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Ryan said, trying his best not to sound aggravated. “It’s not like I’m not used to it.”

With that, the mood of the room noticeably shifted. “Ryan…” Choco looked visibly saddened. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay,” Ryan didn’t miss the guilt and regret in her eyes but was too peeved to acknowledge it. “Tenchou, I’m clocking out.”

Ryan went to the back to clock out, leaving everyone sitting in silence.

* * *

“Guh!! I’m so stupid!” Ryan hit himself on the head with his fist, emulating Calli’s verbal tick. It only took a couple hours for Ryan to clear his head and to reflect on his actions. “How could I just ruin their day like that! I’m so dumb!”

He paced around his room, muttering to himself. He was so deep in his thoughts that he visibly jumped when someone knocked on the door. He walked over and opened the door, his eyes widening slightly as Choco was standing there in front of him.

“Hey Ryan,” She looked into his eyes. “I want to-“

“I’m sorry,” Ryan said immediately. “I admit I kind of lost my temper back there. You didn’t deserve that.”

“No, it’s okay,” Choco surprised Ryan by pulling him into a hug. Ryan didn’t really know what to do, so he just let his arms hang awkwardly. “I really want to tell you what happened… believe me I do… it’s just not my secret to tell… there is so much more in play. I wish I could just talk to you.”

“I understand,” Ryan replied, finally finding the courage to wrap his arms around her. “Thank you.”

“Always,” Choco smiled softly as she pulled away. “Thank you for forgiving me.”

“No problem,” Ryan smiled back.

“I’ll see you around,” Choco winked as she vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

“Yeah,” Ryan closed the door. It took about two seconds for the events of the past few minutes to sink in.

“What the hell just happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! What did you think of this chapter? I'm going to push back the Holohouse chapter to chapter 9, since I have something planned for next chapter. Anyways, what do you think is up with Ryan? It seems a lot of people of know more about himself than he does. If Choco-sensei isn't the right person to tell him his secrets, then who is? Feel free to share theories in the comments. Who knows? You might be right! I would love to start a discussion. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	8. Bonds Thicker than Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be the first to admit that I fell into the hole after Aloe graduated, but I still wanted to take a second to appreciate her. We in the fandom still consider her as a part of the community and I wanted to treat it as such. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Day 8: Bonds Thicker than Blood

“You alright, Ryan?” Kiara asked through the phone. She didn’t even do her normal wake up call. It as obvious she was concerned from him.

“Yeah, Choco-sensei and I sorted everything out last night,” Ryan replied. “Everything’s alright now.”

“By sorted out… do you mean…” Kiara giggled suggestively, causing a tick to appear on Ryan’s forehead.

“Tenchou, do you really think I’m capable of getting laid?” Ryan deadpanned.

“Probably not,” Kiara laughed. “Anyways, can you do me a favor?”

“What is it?” Ryan asked.

“Can you bring some sake? I wired some money into your account,” Kiara replied. “I put in 400,000 yen as well as your weekly pay. The higher the quality, the better.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of money for sake,” Ryan said, a hint of shock entering his tone. As someone who was still barely getting off his feet, 400,000 yen seemed like a fortune.

“We’re hosting a very important event today,” Kiara said. The sadness in Kiara’s tone told Ryan enough.

“Alright, Tenchou,” Ryan said, trying to sound enthusiastic and cheery in hopes of cheering up his manager. “I’ll get whatever I can.”

“Thanks, I knew I could count on you,” Kiara said, her voice sounding brighter, even if only a miniscule amount. “Can I see you in thirty minutes?”

“I’ll try my best to get there earlier,” Ryan said, getting his wallet.

“Alright! I’ll see you at work,” Kiara said, hanging up the phone.

* * *

Ryan entered the liquor store with a sigh before moving over to the alcohol section. “Ahoy~!” Ryan turned to see a girl in a skimpy pirate costume giving him a peace sign.

“Morning,” Ryan awkwardly waved before turning back to the Sake, picking one that costed exactly 400,000 yen.

“What can a girl do to get a drink around here~?” Ryan turned to see the girl making a suggestive pose, eyeing the bottle of sake he was holding. He resisted the urge to facepalm. Was she really doing this in a liquor store?

“Are you doing this in a liquor store?” Ryan verbalized his thoughts. “This is for work. Plus, if you’re going out in public with that outfit, you’re probably a lesbian.”

“I mean… you’re right…” The girl was taken aback. “No one has ever said that so directly, though.”

“If you excuse me, I have to get to work before my Tenchou kills me,” Ryan said, hurrying to the register.

“Huh,” The girl said, staring at the place where Ryan once stood.

* * *

Ryan walked into the restaurant, walking in with the bottle of sake. Kiara looked up from underneath the counter, her expression brightening.

“Great!” She chirped as Ryan handed her the bottle. “This was her favorite…”

“Whose favorite?” Ryan asked.

“It’s not my place to tell,” Kiara said, offering Ryan a sad smile. Before he could open his mouth, Kiara continued. “Just wait until everyone gets here. We’ll explain then.”

“Okay,” Ryan accepted that answer as he walked into the break room to get changed.

As he changed, he heard the doors open and chatting, Kiara’s voice amongst the chattering. As Ryan walked out, he saw a girl with gray lion ears and Adidas clothing chatting with Kiara. Ryan recognized her immediately. Shishiro Botan was one of the world’s best FPS pro gamer. Ryan was never one for First Person Shooters, but he always enjoyed watching Botan’s livestreams, it being one of the highlights of Ryan’s NEET year.

“Shishiro-san!” Ryan almost jumped out of his skin in shock. Botan turned to him, a confused expression on her face. “My name’s Ryan Shade! I’m a huge fan!”

“See, Botan-senpai?” Kiara nudged Botan from behind the counter. “You do have fans!”

“I’m honored, Ryan-san,” Botan bowed slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Please, just Ryan,” Ryan waved his shaking hand dismissively.

With a gust of snowflakes, a woman with an artic coat and long, pointy ears appeared. “Ah, Botan-chan!” The woman smiled. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Ohayo, Lamy-mama!” Botan gestured for her to sit next to her, which the woman obliged.

“Welcome to KFP,” Ryan bowed slightly towards the blue-haired woman. “My name is Ryan Shade. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“O-oh,” The woman flushed, seemingly flustered, but offered a kind smile, nonetheless. “My name is Yukihana Lamy. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Ryan offered a small nod. As he did, the doors slammed opened, revealing an outfit looking similar to a traditional Chinese outfit, though somehow looking completely different. “SUPERNENECHI HAS ARRIVED!”

Ryan jumped in shock before pointing at her, a hurt expression on his face. “IT’S YOU!” Ryan actually new who Momosuzu Nene was. When Ryan was looking for jobs, he actually applied to NenePro, but like many others, didn’t even give him an email. “YOU KNOW, I NEVER GOT AN EMAIL BACK FROM YOUR COMPANY!”

“I’M SORRY!” Nene bowed, distress in her tone. “Kiara and I had a fight over who should hire you and I was too hurt to reply to your application!”

“You fought over me?” Ryan looked at Kiara, who only winked.

“I still have burn marks,” Nene rubbed her back, crocodile tears forming in her eyes.

“Okay…” Ryan said, unable to come up with a response as Nene sat on the other side of Botan.

Suddenly, a girl dived through the doors, landing face first on the floor before jumping up, her fist in the air and a bloody nose, one of her bunny ears bending forward. “I AM PHEONIX!”

“NO, I AM PHEONIX!” Kiara exclaimed instantly. Ryan just brushed this off as an inside joke. Kiara was human, right?

“Oh, not this again,” Nene muttered under her breath.

“Guys, this isn’t the time,” Botan and Lamy instantly stood up, trying to calm the two.

“Oh!” The bunny girl noticed Ryan and dashed up to him, forgetting her prior argument with Kiara. “Hi! I’m Omaru Polka! I am a Pheo- Fennec girl!”

 _So not a bunny,_ Ryan thought to himself.

“Ryan Shade,” he offered his hand, which Polka shook. Ryan recoiled slightly when he felt a hand buzzer on Polka’s hands. “I would say nice to meet you, but I think you’ve lost that right.”

Polka and Kiara laughed whole Botan and Lamy giggled, soft smiles on their faces.

“So, do you have it?” Lamy asked Kiara, who nodded. She walked over to the back and came back with a framed picture of what looked like a demon girl smiling at the camera. The girl had pink hair with blond streaks, a left horn bigger than her right horn, and headphones around her neck along with the sake that Ryan brought.

“Who’s this?” Ryan asked as Kiara placed the picture on the counter next to Polka’s seat. She then placed sake cups for everyone, not forgetting herself, Ryan, and the picture of the girl.

“This was Mano Aloe,” Botan said, nodding in thanks as Kiara poured her a cup of alcohol. “We were all in a team together a while ago. We went through a lot together.”

“Yeah,” Lamy’s smile turned sad, nostalgia flashing through her eyes. “She made us lunch every day, no matter how bad things got. I really miss her bento boxes.”

“I remember when we went to her room for the first time,” Polka drank her cup of sake in one take, holding the cup out to Kiara, who poured her another glass. “She always cleaned the office during her breaks, but her room was so messy! We spent the first three hours of our stay helping her clean her room.”

“Aloe-chan would always give me advice about becoming an idol,” Nene sniffled, sipping at her cup, her cheeks already flushed with intoxication. “Without her, NenePro would have never gotten as far as it did.”

“I see,” Ryan decided to leave his sake for the time being. “What happened to her?”

“We were raiding a MILF stronghold,” Botan explained, all four of them looking down. “They were planning on raiding Atlantis and all of their plans were in that one place. We managed to destroy the plans, but we were cornered… Aloe-chan decided to divert their attention… she sacrificed herself so we could escape…”

Nene slammed her hand on the counted, causing everyone to look at her. “It should’ve been me,” she said, tears flowing freely.

“You shouldn’t say that,” Lamy pulled Nene into a hug. “I believe she wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

“You’re right…” Nene hugged Lamy back, sniffling. “It’s just hard…”

“She sounds like a wonderful person,” Ryan smiled softly. Though he was doing this to comfort the others, he felt a deep sense of respect for Aloe. If presented the decision, he wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to do what Aloe did. She was a hero, through and through.

“She was,” Botan held her sake cup up. “A toast to our friend, our savior, and our sister.”

Even though Ryan didn’t feel right doing it, as he didn’t know her, but he held his cup with everyone else, more out of respect than obligation, which was a first for him.

“Rest in peace, Aloe,” Everyone said at once, a few people saying “Aloe-chan” and Ryan saying “Mano-san” before drinking their cup of sake.

“Do you have it?” Botan asked Kiara, who gave her another bottle of sake. Botan nodded in thanks as the four stood up. “We have one more spot to visit. It was nice meeting you, Ryan.”

“It was nice meeting you too, Shishiro-san, Omaru-san, Yukihana-san, Momosuzu-san,” Ryan offered a polite smile.

“Please, call me Botan,” Botan smiled back. “You’ve respected us and listened to our story. For that, you’ve earned the right to my given name.”

“Same here!” Nene smiled. “Call me Nene, Nenechi, or CEO!”

“ _I’m_ his CEO!” Kiara exclaimed, causing Nene to giggle a bit.

“Feel free to call me Lamy or Lamy-mama,” Lamy smiled.

“Ooh! Call me Polka!” Polka jumped up and down.

“Alright,” Ryan smiled as they turned to leave. “I hope to see you again soon.”

* * *

Botan, Nene, Polka, and Lamy sat in a half circle in front of a grave, a cup of sake in front of each of them, including the grave. “People who drink from the same sake cup are considered family,” Lamy said, looking at the grave.

_Here lies Mano Aloe_

_2005-2020_

_“Aloe in our minds,_

_Aloe in our hearts”_

“Sisters?” Nene raised her cup of sake, looking at the people around her.

“Sisters,” the rest of them agreed, drinking their sake. As they left, they left the cup of sake, along with a letter from each of them.

* * *

Ryan sat down on his computer chair and sighed. “Today was emotionally draining,” he said. He checked his bank account. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed 100,000 yen more than he did in the beginning of the day. 100k per week? He decided to call up Kiara.

“Hello!” Kiara chirped. He guessed that Kiara didn’t use her catchphrase since it wasn’t the morning. “What did you need?”

“Uh, I think you gave me too much money,” Ryan said, double checking his bank balance on his computer. “You seemed to have given me 100,000 yen.”

“That’s right!” Kiara said. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Isn’t that too much?” Ryan repeated. “I don’t really think I deserve this much.”

“No, you do,” Kiara said without a second thought. “You’ve been doing really well! Most people called the cops when they saw half the people who walked in here. You’ve been one of the best employees I’ve ever had. I wish you would have applied earlier.”

“You don’t know how much this means to me,” Ryan said. At that point, he didn’t really care too much for the money anymore. He doesn’t remember the last time he was appreciated. Sure, he didn’t remember much at all, but in the year he’s been a NEET, all he’s gotten was angry phone calls from his mother and automated voice messages. “I’m honored to be of value to you.”

“You’re not of value to me,” Kiara said, shocking Ryan. “I didn’t keep you around because you’re useful. I keep you around because you’re Ryan. Sure, you’re good at your job, but that isn’t all of you. I need you because you do your work, but I want you because you’re Ryan.”

“Thank you…” Ryan said, wiping his eyes. “You mean a lot to me, Tenchou. I hope you know that.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Kiara said before hanging up. Ryan looked at his bank balance before closing it. He didn’t care for such superficial things. He only needed a fifth of that a week to afford his wages, so he didn’t care for such superficial things. He looked at his phone, the screen showing a picture of Sabrina smiling back at him.

“Sabrina,” he said, not caring if anyone was listening. “I think I’ve found what I needed to be happy.”

* * *

“Why not?!” A brown-haired girl shouted at a hooded figure. “There’s no reason for me to stay here in America! Let me see him!”

The hooded figure looked up, revealing a white mask with a large, black one imprinted on it. There was no indication he could see through the mask, as the entire mask was completely covered in plastic. “I told you, he’s not ready,” the hooded figure said. “Sabrina, you need to stay in America.”

“He deserves to have his memories,” the girl, Sabrina said.

“I know it hurts,” the hooded figure replied. “It hurts me too, but we don’t know what could happen if he gets them back. Now go. We still need to clean up the MILF here in America.”

“Whatever,” Sabrina grumbled as she put on her own mask, identical to the one the hooded figure was wearing except the giant one was replaced by a four. “See you, Shade.”

Sabrina opened a portal with her hands and jumped through. As the portal closed, Shade looked to the sky. “Storm, am I doing the right thing?”

* * *

Mano Aloe was standing in an empty void, staring off into the endless blackness. “Aloe-san,” a voice caused her to turn around and facing a hooded figure wearing a white mask with a back zero covering a majority of it.

“Storm,” Aloe bowed slightly.

“You don’t need to bow to me,” Storm held his hand up.

“Are you sure I can’t meet them?” Aloe asked.

“I wish you could,” Storm said, shaking his head. “But we can’t interfere. Not yet. The void prohibits us.”

“I see,” Aloe held out her hand and a framed picture formed in her hand. The picture showed her, Lamy, Botan, Nene, and Polka posing for the camera together. “I miss you all. I hope we can see each other again soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. Did you catch all the One Piece references? I dropped a lot of reveals about Ryan and Sabrina. Who could these Shade and Storm people be? I'm not too sure about my demographic, but if you were expecting something less plot-heavy, I was considering starting a branch off the KFP fic where it's just Hololive characters interacting with each other, but I'm not sure. If you're interested in something like that, feel free to let me know! If you like the elements I'm throwing in, feel free to let me know as well! Start a discussion! I would love to answer any questions any of you have about my fic. Until then, thank you for reading.


	9. Murderers, Memelords, Gorillas, Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GOOD MORNING MOTHERF**KERS

Day 9: Murderers, Memelords, Gorillas, Oh My!

A shiver down Ryan’s spine forced him awake. “I thought you said you’d deal with this,” Ryan grumbled as the tugging on his mind returned. He stood up and cracked his back, putting on his hoodie. It was early in the morning, and Ryan wanted to get out. He decided to call Kiara and give her a heads up. He dialed up the number and put the phone to his ear.

“KIKKERIKIII~” Ryan didn’t actually expect her to pick up, much less so quickly.

“So, I feel like I’m being watched again.” Ryan glared at a random window as a feeble attempt to try and spot his stalker. If he was successful, he didn’t know, as nothing happened. “Can I hop into the restaurant early?”

“Sure! I’m already there, so you can drop by!” Kiara replied.

“Really? It’s…” Ryan paused to look at his phone. “3:45 am. What the hell are you doing there?”

“Adding armored plating to the restaurant,” Kiara deadpanned.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“You know, I don’t even know why I bother,” Ryan facepalmed. “I’ll see you soon.”

As he hung up, the tugging sensation went away. Ryan sighed with relief as he walked off.

* * *

The first thing Ryan noticed was the fortifications on the restaurant. Armored plating was slapped on the walls and barred on the windows. “Okay…” Ryan muttered to himself, opening the doors.

“Is anyone there?” He asked, noting that the floors, ceilings, and even the stools were replaced with a shiny metal.

“Oh!” Kiara opened the door from the back, hammer and nails in hand. “It’s great you’re here! Can you help out?”

“What’s…” Ryan waved his arms dramatically. “All this?”

“Oh, it’s just tungsten,” Kiara replied. “Now, we really need to hurry up and finish this.”

“Wait,” Ryan held his hands up. “Why tungsten? Why the plating? Why anything?”

“Kaichou’s coming today,” Kiara said, staring at Ryan as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Who’s Kaichou?”

“A dragon.”

“Oh,” Ryan paused. Without another word, he followed Kiara to the back.

* * *

After a couple hours, they finished completely fortifying the restaurant. “That wasn’t that bad!” Kiara laughed as she ate a fried chicken leg.

“You weren’t the one who was forced to make you fried chicken, used as a ladder, and was used as target practice to ‘test the melting point’,” Ryan was laying on the floor in the middle of the establishment, his chest heaving.

“It was great exercise!” Kiara smiled as the doors opened. When Ryan opened his eyes, a familiar woman was looking down at him, an amused smile on her face.

“Morning Hoshimachi-san,” Ryan said, closing his eyes again.

“Morning Ryan,” Suisei giggled at the display before stepping over him to sit down.

“Suisei-senpai!” Kiara exclaimed before a multitude of crashing sounds could be heard, followed up with a thud. Ryan then opened his eyes to see Kiara laying face down next to him.

“Oh, morning Tenchou,” Ryan said nonchalantly. “You two know each other?”

“Of course!” Kiara hopped up, grabbing Ryan by his collar to force him to his feet. “C’mon, Ryan! It’s time to get to work!”

“Ugh, fine!” Ryan groaned as he got behind the counter. “What would you like, Hoshimachi-san?”

“Nothing for now,” She gave Ryan a smile. “Feel free to call me Suisei, though.”

“Alright, Suisei-san,” Ryan cracked his back. He noted that there was a distant sound of wings flapping, thinking none of it. As the flapping noises grew, Ryan’s expression contorted with dread. This was it. The dragon that Kiara was talking about. With a crashing thud, a giant dragon revealed itself, purple scales shining in the sunlight. As the dragon landed, a girl with a golden halo that Ryan noted was shaped differently than he would expect.

With a flash of light, the dragon started to shrink in size until a woman with long, orange hair taking its place, purple tail swishing wildly. Ryan recognized her immediately, pointing at her as soon as she opened the door. “I remember you!”

“Good morning motherf**kers!” Coco gave Ryan a thumbs up and a wink. “Did you drink the Asacoco?”

“Coco!” The angel girl gasped, giving her a look. “How could you give him Asacoco! Is that really how you treat him after everything?”

“Everything?” Ryan tilted his head.

“She’s talking about something else,” Coco waved her hand dismissively.

“Color me curious,” Ryan said as Coco and the angel girl sat down beside Suisei.

“A person that looked just like you appeared two years ago,” Coco started. “Along with six other people broke into a MILF stronghold. At the time, I was apprehended and forced into suppression. Those six people broke me out.”

“So, like a twin or something?” Ryan asked. “That’s weird. Another thing is, I can’t remember anything before about a year ago.”

“The thing is, he was a powerful mage,” Coco looked Ryan directly in the eyes. “And he’s dead.”

“Dead?!” The angel girl exclaimed, shooting Coco a look. “You never told me anything about this.”

“We didn’t want anyone to know,” Coco looked back at the girl. “The existence of YAGOO and the six hooded mages keep the MILF in check.”

“You know,” Ryan rubbed his head. “I’m not sure if I should be in on all this secret-y magic underground war stuff.”

“He’s probably right,” Suisei chimed in. “Kanata-chan, you haven’t introduced yourself yet.”

“Oh!” Kanata’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I forgot… I’m sorry. My name is Aname Kanata, a first-year student at the Heaven Academy of Angelic Arts. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ryan Shade, KFP employee,” Ryan introduced himself casually. “What would you two like?”

“I’ll have a dragon-tail steak!” Coco said, raising her hand enthusiastically.

“Isn’t that cannibalism?” Ryan asked.

“C’mon! Dragon tail is a delicacy across the magical community!” Coco chirped.

“Whatever you say,” Ryan grumbled.

“I’ll have pork stew!” Kanata said. At that, Kanata, Coco, and Suisei started laughing.

“Did you get the pot I sent you?” Coco asked Kiara.

“Yeah!” Kiara chirped before giving Coco a confused expression. “Why did you even have a pot that big?”

“Long story,” Kanata interjected, causing the trio to laugh again. “Can you use that pot please?”

“Sure, why?” Kiara asked.

“Just… humor us,” Suisei said. “We’ll pay for the entire meal.”

“Whatever you say,” Kiara headed to the back. “Since dragon meat is very delacite, I’ll do the cooking this time.”

“I never get to cook,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

“Do you _want_ to ruin tens of thousands of gold coins in dragon meat,” Kiara quipped.

“I guess not,” Ryan sighed.

“Thought so,” Kiara nodded and turned on the grill.

“So, what are you guys going to use with the leftover stew?” Ryan asked. “Assuming the pot is big enough for you guys to _have_ extra.”

“Maybe we can give the rest of it to YAGOO,” Suisei suggested. “He really deserves it.”

“I’m sure YAGOO loves our cooking,” Coco said. “After all, Kiara-chan is using our recipe.”

* * *

“You alright?” The man on the phone asked.

“Yeah,” YAGOO shuddered. “I just got a bad feeling. Don’t worry about it, Shade.”

“If you insist,” Shade replied through the phone. “Anyways, what do you think of him?”

“I think he’ll be ready for magic in a few days,” YAGOO replied. “He’s really grown this past week. I have to say I’m proud of him.”

“Just because your idols are raising him doesn’t mean you are,” Shade said.

“I guess not,” YAGOO replied. “Are you going to send someone?”

“There aren’t many of us left,” Shade replied. "Depending on our situation, I might be able to send Godslayer in a few days. She hasn’t stopped bothering me about him. If I don’t relent, I think she might run off to Japan herself.”

“Give him five days,” YAGOO replied. “Sending her to visit him would be a nice surprise to celebrate half a month of work, I suppose.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Shade said. “Maybe finally I could get some peace. By the way, do you have some more of that stew? Dragonson has taken a particular liking to it.”

“How does he even handle that stuff?” YAGOO asked, massaging his temples. “I think I saw him eat Haato-chan’s cooking once.”

“He eats it exclusively with alcohol,” Shade deadpanned.

“I see.”

* * *

“Yeah! Coco’s cooking is the best!” Kanata chirped.

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Ryan offered the trio a smile.

“Hey Ryan,” Coco said in English, giving Ryan a suggestive look. “Who’s you’re favorite customer?”

“I’m not sure I should be answering that,” Ryan replied in kind.

“What are you saying?” Suisei asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Coco said in Japanese before switching back to English. “This could stay between us.”

“Fine,” Ryan grumbled. “I have to say Tenchou is my favorite.”

“Really?!” Kiara brought a massive pot and placed it on the counter with a thud before attempting to hug Ryan, who expertly dodged out of the way.

“I’m not too fond of physical contact,” Ryan said.

“Choco-sensei would probably have something to say about that,” Suisei offered Ryan a wink.

“How do you know about that?” Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“So, you two _did_ spend the night together!” Kiara cheered.

“No, they just hugged,” Suisei corrected.

“Stop dodging the question,” Ryan said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Suisei offered Ryan a kind smile.

“Is this normal?” Ryan turned to the other two customers.

“Yep,” Both Coco and Kanata said at the same time.

“Wonderful,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

“Anyways, I’m off to deliver this to YAGOO,” Coco stood up.

“What about your tail steak?” Ryan asked.

As if on cue, Kiara gave Coco a bag. “Thanks!” Coco chirped as the three of them walked off.

Before Suisei exited the door, she turned to Ryan and gave him a wink. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Sure,” Ryan said, unsure of what to think.

Ryan turned to Kiara as Suisei left. “Is that normal?”

“Probably,” Kiara replied.

“Great.”

* * *

Ryan flopped on the bed, groaning. He took out his phone and dialed up Sabrina’s number. “Hey, Sabrina. It’s me again,” Ryan said, a smile on his face. “I met a dragon today! How cool is that? She’s really nice, other than the fact that she gave me drugs the first time I met her. She came with an angel too! Aname-san seems really sweet. Overall, I had a really good day. I still miss you, though. I would love to see you some day soon, but I’m not sure how possible that is. Maybe I can ask for a few days off after a couple weeks and fly to America. That sounds nice. Anyways, I’ll call you tomorrow. Have a good night, Sabrina.”

As he hung up, Ryan flopped on the bed. Life was really looking up for him. He smiled.

* * *

A hooded figure hopped out of a portal inside a building. “So, this is how Japan is now,” the hooded figure muttered to herself. “All I need to do is find Edhas.”

As she took her first step, her phone vibrated. “Crap,” she muttered. Suddenly, she took out a wand and with a flick of her wrist, the wand extended into a baton just in time to clash with a katana.

“Yo-chan,” her attacker said. “YAGOO said you wouldn’t be arriving for another five days.”

“What can I say?” The hooded figure, Yo-chan replied. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Kurokami-san.”

“I see,” Kurokami sheathed her sword. “So, you want to see him.”

“I do,” Yo-chan replied.

“I can’t let you-,” Kurokami started before wincing in pain. “Fubuki says that I should let you. I’m going to get in trouble for this, but I guess I owe you one.”

“Thank you, Kurokami-san,” Yo-chan bowed. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Whatever,” Kurokami replied, offering her a pout. “Just don’t reveal your identity to him. We don’t know his current mental state. I think you know what would happen if he snaps.”

“But-,” Yo-chan started, but stopped to consider. “Fine. I guess I can’t ask for too much. Where is he?”

“Don’t get too impatient,” Kurokami said. “We’ll visit him at work tomorrow. That’s probably the best idea.”

“As long as I get to see him,” Yo-chan replied. She smiled underneath her cloak. After all this time, they will finally be reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! So Kurokami invited some mysterious person to visit KFP and there were more reveals about the world in general. Apparently YAGOO is in league with a group of mages. What do you think about these developments? Feel free to tell me! Until then, thank you for reading.


	10. Masks

Day 10: Masks

“Sabrina?” A man walked down the blue halls. He looked around eighteen or nineteen. His blond hair was spiky and unruly. His good eye was a deep, ocean blue as his left eye was covered by an eyepatch, a scar cut through his flesh diagonally. He let out a sigh as silence answered him. He walked down the hall before stopping at a door, third to the end. He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing an empty bedroom and a note. The man picked up a note and read it.

_“Dear Shade,_

_If you’re reading this, I’m probably in Japan by now. I can’t let Edhas run around in Japan with how strong the MILF is there. Since someone has forgotten the meaning of family, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Please don’t come after me._

_-Godslayer”_

Shade heaved a sigh. As much as he wanted to be mad at Sabrina for running off, she was right. “I hope she knows what she’s doing,” Shade muttered to himself, placing the note down and walking out. This was out of his hands now.

* * *

“KIKKERIKII~” Kiara’s morning call has become so familiar Ryan didn’t have to move the phone away anymore.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said, stretching. As he finished stretching, he felt another tugging sensation on the back of his head. “Ugh, I feel like I’m being watched.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Kiara said, her tone turning confused. “Suisei-senpai should be-,”

“SO, IT WAS HOSHIMACHI-SAN!” Ryan exclaimed!

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kiara giggled.

“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled. “I’ll be there in five.”

* * *

“I’m so nervous,” Yo-chan adjusted her mask. The white mask covered her entire face, leaving no openings for her eyes and mouth. The entire mask was covered by a gigantic number 4. “How’s my hair, Kurokami-san?”

“For the last time, Yo-chan, don’t worry about your hair,” Kurokami said, her arms crossed. “He’s not the same guy you once knew.”

“I know, I know,” Yo-chan muttered, adjusting her long, brown hair. “It’s just… been a long while since I’ve seen him.”

“Do you have a name to use?” Kurokami asked. Yo-chan moved her head towards her ear and whispered something.

“What the hell are you thinking?!” Kurokami smacked Yo-chan on the head. “Even Fubuki doesn’t agree with that choice.”

“Kurokami-san!” Yo-chan frantically arranged her hair. “Not the head!”

“Fine,” Kurokami grumbled, before punching Yo-chan square in the gut. “Let’s just go already.”

As she turned to leave, something buzzed in Kurokami’s shirt pocket. She took out her phone and looked at it. “Great,” she groaned.

* * *

Ryan facefaulted onto the counter. “Ugh…”

“You alright?” Kiara asked, placing a tub of chicken next to Ryan.

“I just have a bad feeling about something,” Ryan replied, taking a chicken leg and taking a bite. “I don’t know what, though.”

Like a prophecy coming true, the doors opened, and three girls walked in. Ryan recognized one to be Fubuki, or rather Fubuki if she inverted her color scheme. The one to Nega-Fubuki’s right was what seemed to be a wolf girl with two tantos sheathed at her side. The girl to Nega-Fubuki’s left was an odd one. A hood covered her head, barely concealing the brown hair flowing down her back. She had a white mask with no openings for her eyes or mouth and a giant number 4 covering the mask.

“Yo-chan!” Kiara smiled, speaking in English. “It’s been a long time.”

“Takanashi-san,” The hooded girl bowed respectfully, speaking in Japanese. “It’s been a while.”

“Oh, so you’ve learnt Japanese!” As the three sat down, Kiara patted Yo-chan’s head comically. Ryan didn’t miss the tick mark appearing through the mask. How does that even happen? “Kuro-senpai must have been a good teacher.”

“Nothing a good punch couldn’t fix,” Nega-Fubuki replied, an ever-present scowl on her face.

“That doesn’t sound effective,” Ryan said off-handedly.

“You don’t get to judge, kid,” Nega-Fubuki shot Ryan a glare.

“Kurokami-san, no need to be rude,” The wolf girl said patiently.

“Tch,” Nega-Fubuki scoffed, looking away. “You’re no fun.”

“I’m Ryan Shade by the way,” Ryan introduced himself.

“Konbanmion!” The wolf girl cheered, raising her hand excitedly. “My name is Ookami Mio! Nice to meet you!”

“Just call me Kurokami,” Kurokami glared at Ryan.

“I’m…” Yo-chan paused for a moment. “Brianna Edhas.”

“That name…” Ryan rubbed his chin. “It seems familiar, but I can’t place my finger on why.”

“It’s a pretty unique name,” Brianna offered, holding her hand to shake. “People call me Yo-chan because of my mask.”

“I see,” Ryan shook her hand, smiling. “Would you mind if I called you that?”

“Of course not,” Brianna replied.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Yo-chan,” Ryan’s smile grew soft.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Brianna said.

“Enough with this sappy sh-,” Kurokami cringed. “Fine, fine, I’ll refrain from swearing, jeez.”

“Is that normal?” Ryan turned to Mio, who seemed a bit more sensible than some of the other people he’s met in this restaurant.

“Ah, Kurokami-chan and Fubuki-chan are the same person,” Mio replied. “It’s a side effect of her magic. Splitting her magic between yin and yang also split her personality.”

“Well at least my magic is actually _strong_ ,” Kurokami shot back. “Unlike some people.”

“Calm down, Kurokami-san,” Brianna put a hand on Kurokami’s shoulder. “She wasn’t attacking you. She was just explaining.”

“Whatever,” Kurokami pouted.

“So, what brings you here, Yo-chan?” Kiara asked. “Shouldn’t you be back in America?”

“Japan’s situation is worse, so I was deployed here,” Brianna replied. For some reason, Ryan knew she was lying, but he didn’t know how. “I was _supposed_ to be under the radar, but _someone_ wanted me to come here.”

“Oh, please,” Kurokami scoffed. “ _Brianna_ over here was being Ms. How’s-My-Hair a few minutes earlier. She was practically _begging_ to come.”

“What did you say?!” Biranna’s opened her hand, letting a fireball form.

“Now, now,” The fireball floated and flew into Kiara’s mouth. To Ryan’s horror, she swallowed it. “No fighting in my restaurant.”

“Tenchou..?” Ryan asked, both shocked and terrified. “Are you okay?”

“You met the avatar of death, a dragon, and a literal _goddess_ , and me eating fire is what scares you?” Kiara deadpanned.

“Yes!” Ryan shouted. “Also, when did I meet a goddess?”

“Matsuri-senpai,” Kiara answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Ryan nodded.

“It does?” Mio asked.

“Of course it doesn’t!” Ryan exclaimed. “How could that lolicon be an actual goddess?!”

“Don’t look at me,” Kurokami put her hands up. Funnily enough, no one was looking at her until she said that. “I didn’t make the rules.”

“Yeah, YAGOO did,” Kiara joked, causing all of them to laugh.

“Wait,” Ryan said, holding his hands up. “Who’s YAGOO? I’m lost.”

“Our boss,” Everyone except Brianna said at once.

“Really?” Ryan turned to Kiara. “I thought you were the CEO.”

“Actually, KFP is my side business,” Kiara smiled. “I’m mainly an idol.”

“Sure…” Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Like I’ll believe that.”

“Really!” Kiara exclaimed, leaning forward, her fists clenched at knee level in a pout. “I’m an idol!”

“I think you lost that title when you tried to drink Calliope-san’s ‘milk’ in public,” Brianna said, her hand over her mask in a feeble attempt to cover a snicker.

“That was _one_ time!” Kiara pouted before stopping to think. “Or was it two? I don’t remember.”

“It was twenty-six,” Mio offered helpfully.

“How are you still alive?” Ryan asked in shock. “More importantly, don’t do it again! I’m not losing my boss to something like that!”

“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Brianna, Mio, and Kurokami deadpanned all at once.

“I just don’t want my boss to die,” Ryan answered simply. “Nothing’s going to stop her from being a perv.”

“My sl- employee knows me so well!” Kiara tried to tackle Ryan in yet another hug, in which Ryan had gotten skillful at dodging.

“I dread the day I become as clingy as you are,” Ryan grumbled as Kiara hit the floor.

“Maybe it’ll come sooner than you think,” Brianna giggled.

“Doubt it,” Ryan said. “Anyways, you guys didn’t even order.”

“Can I have one of those?” Brianna pointed to the tub of chicken.

“Sure,” Ryan said. “In fact, it’s pretty much full. You can have that one.”

“Thank you,” Brianna took the tub of chicken and took a leg. Ryan expected her to take off her mask, but she moved the leg towards her mouth, somehow taking a bite through the mask.

“How the hell do you do that?” Ryan asked.

“Magic,” Brianna replied.

“I feel like I’m getting that answer way too much and-,” Ryan jumped back when he saw the XXL tub of Birb Legs completely gone. “What the hell?”

“Sorry!” Mio patted her belly, offering Ryan a smile.

“Hey!” Kurokami glared at Mio. “What about my share?!”

“We’ll get one to go!” Mio chirped.

“Alright!” Ryan headed to the back. He felt like he wasn’t doing enough of the actual cooking. When he left to the back, he heard a snap of fingers, then… nothing. That was odd. From his experience, he could still hear people talking from the back. He shrugged it off. Well, with magic and all, they’re probably gossiping. Ryan wondered what they were talking about. Boys? No, they didn’t seem the time. Judging Kurokami’s nature, they were probably talking about fighting someone. Ryan shook his head as he started putting the chicken he was cooking in a tub. What they talked about was none of their business.

“Well, it’s nice we came to a conclusion,” Kiara clasped her hands together with a scary smile on her face as Ryan returned from cooking. He’s never seen an expression on Kiara like that before. Everyone, even Kurokami looked slightly freaked out.

“What-,” Ryan stopped himself. “You know what? I don’t even want to know.”

“Probably a good idea,” Brianna supplied as he placed the tub in front of Kurokami.

“Ookami-san, please remember this is for Kurokami-san,” Ryan offered Kurokami a smile.

“Jeez, you sound like a mother,” Kurokami said.

“Probably because I spend so much time babysitting Tenchou,” Ryan muttered.

“Awhhh, you know I appreciate you,” Kiara smiled.

“Well, I guess it’s time for us to go,” Mio stood up. “We still have an appointment with YAGOO, right?”

“Ugh, fine,” Brianna sighed as Mio gave her a glare. “Thank you for the food. It was nice meeting you, Ryan.”

“You too,” As they left, Ryan noticed that there was money where Brianna was sitting at. “At least there are _some_ decent people around here.”

* * *

“Good evening, Sabrina,” YAGOO and Sabrina were sitting at a table in the Hololive office. A complex expression laid on YAGOO’s face. “Shade predicted this you know.”

“Knowing him, he probably learned divinity and looked the next five days into the future,” Sabrina grumbled. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Either way, introducing yourself as Edhas’s dead sister wasn’t the wisest move,” YAGOO sighed, taking a sip from a “World’s Best Sage” coffee mug.

“I just…” Sabrina looked down at her hands. “I miss him, you know. I love him.”

“You loved who he once was,” YAGOO put a hand on her shoulder. “Look at him. He looks so much happier than he once did. Edhas hated the world. Ryan looks happy where he is.”

“You’re right,” Sabrina heaved a sigh. “I know I’m being selfish… it’s just that…”

“It’s okay to feel feelings,” YAGOO smiled softly as Sabrina trailed off. “I think you need some time to reflect. Seeing him at this point and time isn’t healthy.”

“I guess you’re right…” Sabrina looked up to meet YAGOO’s eyes. “I guess I’ll go back to America.”

“No, you should stay here,” YAGOO said. “Everyone needs a break every now and then.”

Sabrina smiled through her mask. “Thank you, YAGOO.”

* * *

Ryan dialed Sabrina’s number as he flopped on the bed. “Hey Sabrina,” he said, talking out of instinct. “I had a good day today. I met a wolf girl, an alternate personality, and an odd girl. Magic is really weird. I didn’t know you could split your personality with magic. Well, it’s magic, so I guess you could do anything. That girl, though. She said her name was Brianna. For some reason, she seems familiar. I don’t really have all the answer. Some part of me doesn’t even want to know, to be honest. Well, who knows? I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Ryan hung up, something clicked in his head. The call never went to voicemail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you stay tuned! I have a pretty nice surprise for you all when I hit 14 chapters! Thank you for reading.


	11. Trip Through Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AHOY!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats on Hololive for their first stage of their second festival! I may not update tomorrow as I'm going to stay up all night to watch the second stage. Stay tuned!

Day 11: Trip Through Time

Ryan sighed as he woke up. “I really don’t want to work today,” he muttered to himself. Of course, he loved his job, but there will still days that he was tired and just wanted to sleep all day. As if the universe wanted to make yet another cruel joke, Ryan’s phone rang.

“Morning Ten-,” Ryan really needed to stop trying to talk first when he picks up the phone.

“KIKKERIKIII~!” Kiara exclaimed. “Good morning!”

“Morning Tenchou,” Ryan said, smiling. Originally, Ryan would find these calls annoying, but now, he found it endearing. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m okay! Calli got to sleep over last night!” Kiara sounded ecstatic when she brought up Calli’s name. Ryan’s smile grew wider. He genuinely found Kiara and Calli’s relationship adorable. “We had a lot of fun last night!”

“We didn’t do anything!” Calli’s voice was faintly heard through the phone.

“Sure,” Ryan muttered to himself. “Are you at the restaurant?”

“Yeah, we’re setting up for today. Calli’s probably not going to stay though,” Kiara said through the phone. “She has work or something.”

“I just don’t want to hang out with you!” Calli’s voice could be heard again.

“Sure,” It was now Kiara’s turn to mutter.

“Anyways, I’ll be there soon,” Ryan said.

“I’ll see you then!” Kiara chirped as Ryan hung up the phone.

* * *

Ryan totally didn’t walk in on Kiara and Calli totally not snogging and he totally didn’t almost not die when Calli didn’t not swing her magic death scythe at him before leaving.

“Well, that was an experience,” Ryan grumbled as he looked down at the rip in his hoodie.

“It’s your fault for not knocking,” Kiara said as she wiped down the desk.

“The door is made out of glass,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Does it matter?” Kiara asked.

“This is a public establishment.”

“ _Does it matter?_ ”

“I guess not,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “I’m going to get changed.”

“Alright!” Kiara chirped.

Ryan couldn’t help but think about Sabrina as he walked in to get changed. Apparently, she _was_ getting his calls, but refuses to talk back. Ryan wondered if she just didn’t want to talk to him, but if she didn’t, she would have hung up immediately. The situation was just so weird. _I can’t understand any of it,_ Ryan thought to himself as he finished buttoning up his vest. _Well, I can’t think about that now. It’s time to get to work._

 _As Ryan opened the door, a familiar looking woman in a pirate cosplay barged through the_ door. “AHOY~! Captain of the Houshou Pirates, Houshou Marine has arrived!”

“Oh, it’s the lesbian pirate,” Ryan deadpanned. “I’m Ryan Shade. May I take your order?”

“Ah! It’s you!” Marine’s eyes widened as she dramatically pointed at Ryan. “You were the one at the liquor store the other day!”

“Senchou-senpai!” Kiara exclaimed. “You’ve already met my little egg?”

“Please don’t call me that,” Ryan rolled his eyes.

“He didn’t buy me a drink!” Marine pouted.

“I was running errands,” Ryan replied, holding up his hands.

“To be honest, I _did_ ask him to get a bottle for 5th gen,” Kiara said.

“Oh,” Marine’s features slumped for a second before returning to their normal, ecstatic nature. “I see! I’ll let it slide, then.”

“I’m so blessed,” Ryan rolled his eyes again, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

“It’s good that you understand!” If Marine detected the sarcasm, she didn’t give any indications that she did as she dashed over to one of the seats.

“So, what would you like?” Ryan asked. When Kiara’s face started to pale, Ryan looked at her with confusion, but soon regretted his decision.

“What I _would_ like are some doujins, a sexy oneesan, and Flare-chan,” Marine said.

“I mean to eat,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Did I stutter?” Marine asked.

“I guess not. Where are we going to get a sexy oneechan’?” he turned to his boss, using finger quotes. Suddenly, the doors slammed open, revealing a woman in a knight costume literally flying towards Marine, eventually landing a hard punch in the head.

“Fuu-tan is mine!” The knight proclaims loudly as the ring of her fist connecting with Marine’s skull emanates throughout the room.

“Noe-chan,” A dark-skinned elf walked into the room calmly, eyes fixated on the knight and Marine, who was rubbing her head where the knight hit her. “You don’t have to hit everyone who makes a joke.”

“But Fuu-tan,” the knight whined. “It’s _Senchou_.”

“That’s true,” the elf rubbed her chin.

“Pardon the intrusion, but can you please not break any skulls while you’re inside the establishment?” Ryan asked politely. As fun as this was to watch, he was on the clock.

“Ah, I apologize,” The elf bowed slightly. “My name is Shiranui Flare. My friend over here is Shirogane Noel.”

“We’re not friends! Fuu-tan is my husband!” Noel shot her fist in the air.

“Whatever you say,” Ryan muttered to himself before raising his voice. “My name is Ryan Shade. It’s a pleasure to meet you two. May I take your orders?”

“Gyudon!” Noel cheered as she sat beside Marine. “I’ll have 15 bowls of Gyudon, please!”

Ryan looked at Flare. “15? Is that okay?”

“I’ll have one for myself, please,” Flare nodded.

“Okay,” Ryan mumbled.

“I’ll cook it!” Kiara raised her hand.

“Shouldn’t I be the one doing the cooking?” Ryan asked.

“You don’t know where the doujins are, so I might as well do the cooking,” Kiara responded.

“Wait, you were serious about the doujin thing?” Ryan turned to Marine.

“Where else am I supposed to get it?” She shrugged.

“I don’t know, online?” Ryan suggested.

“Wait,” Marine looked at Ryan with a blank expression. “You’re right.”

Ryan facefaulted. “Ya think?!”

“So, how’s working with Kiara-chan?” Flare asked. Though she refused to show it, she was desperate to change the subject.

“She’s quite something,” Ryan smiled fondly. “She calls me every day at the crack of dawn and works me to the bone every day, even though she sometimes forgets she’s at work. She’s overly clingy with customers and has no sense of professionalism. Despite that, working with her has probably been the best thing that has ever happened to me. She genuinely cares about my well-being and treats me like a true friend. If you ask me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

“I see,” Flare nodded her head approvingly. “That’s really nice.”

“You’re lucky!” Marine chimed in, her cheeks flushed. “I would _love_ to spend every day with Kiara-chan!”

“I’m sure Calliope-san would appreciate that,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Gyudon! Gyudon!” Meanwhile, Noel was in a completely different realm, chanting excitedly about her beef bowls.

“Is that normal?” Ryan looked at Flare, gesturing at Noel’s antics.

“It’s kind of cute, really,” Flare giggled.

“Fuu-tan thinks I’m cute?!” Noel gasped, her eyes turning into hearts as he turned and tackled Flare into a hug. “I love you Fuu-tan!”

“Please, Noe-chan,” Flare tried to push off Noel to no avail. “Not in public!”

“Gyudon!” Like an angel descending from heaven like Kanata less-than-gracefully falling off the Heaven Academy diving board, Kiara arrived, Kiara balanced a stack of books and a bunch of beef bowls on one tray before placing it down in front of the three girls.

“GYUDON!” Noel grabbed a bowl and started to scarf it down. Within a few seconds, she set the empty bowl aside and grabbed another one.

“Is that normal?” Ryan gestured to the gluttonous knight and the pirate literally drooling over doujinshi. “I swear, that question is going to be my catchphrase before long.”

“It’s quite endearing,” Flare offered Ryan a smile as she took a bite of Gyudon at a normal pace, much to Ryan’s relief.

“If you told me that two weeks ago, I would have laughed at you, but at this point, I’m starting to understand what you mean,” Ryan smiled back. “You know, you’re one of the more mature ones that I’ve met.”

“All of us are capable of being mature when needed. The world is harsh to us. Having a place to let loose our true personalities and to unwind is nice,” Flare looked down at her half-eaten Gyudon, taking another bite.

“I’m sorry if I came off as insensitive,” Ryan bowed slightly. He knew he could never understand what it was like to be a magical being in today’s world, or in general and he didn’t want to come off as insensitive. “I’m still new to all this. I don’t really understand all the dynamics.”

“It’s okay,” Flare offered him a soft smile. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

“I guess I will,” Ryan reasoned. After spending enough time with Kiara, he will eventually get it, right?

“Thank you for the food!” Marine and Noel said at once. To Ryan’s absolute shock, all of the bowls were completely empty, and Marine seemed to have read all of the doujins.

“How did you do that?” Ryan asked, his face in complete shock.

“I exercise a lot!” Noel chirped, flexing her arm for visual effect.

“I… exercise a lot…” Marine’s cheeks flushed as she offered Ryan a wink.

“Sure,” Ryan rolled his eyes.

“Fuu-tan! Let’s go to a love hotel!” Noel tugged on Flare’s arm. “Please~?”

“Can I join?” Marine asked.

“No to both of you, but we can go see a movie,” Flare offered.

“That’s good enough for me!” Noel chirped, tugging on her arm harder.

“It was nice meeting you three,” Ryan smiled at their antics. “Please come back soon.”

“We will!” Noel exclaimed as she finally managed to pull Flare off her seat, dragging her out of the restaurant.

“Wait for me!” Marine ran off after them. After a couple moments on silence, both Ryan and Kiara started laughing. Today was a good day.

* * *

“It’s been a while,” YAGOO and a hooded figure stood atop a tall peak as thunder could be heard from the clouds below. “You don’t usually ask me for anything.”

“I have to depart from this world soon,” the hooded man replied. “It’s calling me back.”

“I see,” YAGOO replied. He remembers the hooded man constantly referencing ‘it’, though he has no idea what ‘it’ could possibly mean. “I suspect that you want something from me.”

With a quick motion, the hooded man unsheathed a weapon, a knife with a serpentine curve. “This kris has served me for many centuries,” he said, spinning the weapon in his hand. “I would be doing her an injustice if I took her with me. She would not thrive where I am going.”

“I see” YAGOO lied, remaining wary. He and the hooded man had helped each other in numerous situations, but he didn’t exactly have Yagoo’s full trust. “I assume you want me to take it?”

“I will be performing a ritual to be giving her a human body,” the hooded man replied, causing Yagoo’s eyes widened with shocked. In his years of mastery in magic, he never heard of such a ritual. “She deserves to have a life of her own. I want you to take care of her.”

“Consider it done,” YAGOO replied. He wouldn’t deny another member added into the Hololive Initiative.

“I owe you a great debt,” the hooded man sheathed the weapon and bowed.

“Consider us even for helping me talk down Matusri,” Yagoo replied, shuddering as he remembered the incident with the goddess. “Before I go, may I ask her name?”

“Anya.”

* * *

Aloe sat in a ceaseless void, a reclining chair and a bento box being the only sense of color for miles. As she ate, the sounds of wind blowing interrupted her meal. “Morning, Storm,” she took another bite from her self-made bento box. “Is it morning anyways? What were you doing in the real world?”

“I gave YAGOO Anya,” The hooded figure behind Aloe replied.

“Why would you do that after all these millennia?” Aloe turned, a confused expression on your face. “Are you preparing for something?”

“Call it an experiment,” Storm replied, looking up. “I wonder if I’ll get her back.”

“Get her back?” Aloe only looked more confused. “You just gave her away.”

Storm smiled under his hood. “Exactly.”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he looked at his phone. Should he call Sabrina? It was obvious she didn’t want to talk. Maybe he could take a break, just this once.

* * *

Sabrina sat and waited for Ryan’s call. She loved hearing about his day. It gave her a sense of normalcy. _Huh, that’s weird_ , Sabrina thought as she looked at her phone. _He should have called me by now._

She looked out the window of the spare streaming room at the bright lights of the city. _I’m sure he’ll call soon. I believe in him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Why did Storm give Anya to YAGOO now? How does it make sense? Ollie already made an appearance, so it doesn't make sense, right? Stay tuned.
> 
> P.S Yes, I did use a scene from another one of my fics. I did this to establish a link between the two. The only thing is, why use it now? Why use it at all? Well, you'll just have to wait and see


	12. Managers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I believe in A-Chan supremacy

Day 12: Managers

“RYAN! RYAN!” Kiara shouted through the phone, causing Ryan to move the phone away.

“You alright, Tenchou?” Ryan asked. “You sound… distressed.”

“Distressed?! DISTRESSED?! OF COURSE I’M DISTRESSED!” Kiara shouted. “MY MANAGER IS COMING TODAY! AND EVEN WORSE, _HER_ MANAGER IS COMING!”

“Wait,” Ryan sighed. “I thought you were a CEO. How can you have a manager?”

“I told you that this is my side gig,” Kiara said, noticeably calmer. “I’m an idol.”

“Sure, you are,” Ryan rolled his eyes.

“You know what?” Kiara sighed. “You don’t need to believe me. All you need to know is that some really powerful people are going to show up and you need to be here 5 minutes ago.”

“Yes Tenchou,” Ryan sighed. “I’ll be there.”

* * *

Ryan ran into through the door to see two people already sitting on the counter, who turned to look at him. One was a girl with glasses, wearing a black T-shirt with “Hololive” written on it, while the other was a woman with a spiky ponytail, a hoodie tied to her waist, and a katana sheathed at her side.

“Good morning,” Ryan bowed slightly. He didn’t know if these were the esteemed guests that Kiara was talking about, but he did not want to take any chances. “I apologize for being late. I was notified to come at this time at short notice. My name is Ryan Shade, and I am an employee of this establishment.”

The woman with the katana glared at Ryan. A couple of tense eye-contact later, she let out a hearty laugh. “Kiara-chan picked someone with actual manners! Color me impressed!” She gave Ryan a wide smile. “Nice to meet you, Ryan. People call me Enma.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Enma-san,” Ryan smiled back.

“People call me A-Chan,” the girl in glasses said, offering Ryan a soft, yet professional smile as she pushed her glasses up. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“People are talking about me?” Ryan asked, intrigued.

“You’ve made quite the impression on the people who’ve walked through these doors,” A-Chan replied. “Though some powerful figures have taken an interest in you.”

“Huh,” Ryan scratched the back of his head. “Maybe that’s why I feel like I’m constantly being watched.”

“Perhaps,” Enma’s smile turned feral. “Say, Suisei-chan said you fight well. Want to go a couple rounds?”

“With all due respect, I’m not too much of a fighter,” Ryan held up his hands. “I merely know how to defend myself.”

“You’re too modest!” Enma exclaimed. “I was told you took on three thugs without so much as a scratch.”

“I took them by surprise,” Ryan said calmly.

“RYAN! WHY HAVEN’T YOU CHANGED YET?!” Kiara’s voice could be heard from the back.

“Sorry about Tenchou,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “She’s a bit on edge right now.”

The two girls looked at each other before laughing, A-Chan softly giggling while Enma laughed loudly. “We know.”

* * *

Ryan opened the door, fully changed to see Enma and A-Chan casually chatting with Amelia. “Morning, Amelia,” Ryan deduced that much like him, Amelia probably didn’t like people adding suffixes to her name.

“Sup-,” Amelia interrupted herself with a hiccup before sipping on some tea.

“Are you sure you don’t want medicine for your excessive hiccupping?” Enma asked.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Amelia replied before hiccupping again. “It’s funny.”

“Morning, Ryan!” Kiara walked over from the back with two tubs of fried chicken.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan cracked his back. “Are you over your nerves now?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kiara smiled brightly at Ryan before placing the tubs of chicken before Amelia and in between Enma and A-chan.

“So, did you go to the festival?” Amelia turned her attention to Ryan.

“What festival?” Ryan asked.

“He doesn’t know,” Kiara winked at Amelia, who gave her signature gremlin laugh and nodded.

“Nevermind, then,” Amelia sipped her tea.

“Alright, keep you secrets,” Ryan sighed. As soon as Amelia took a bite of fried chicken, she screamed, fire jutting out of her mouth.

“What the hell, Kiara!” Amelia tried to ease the spice with her tea, but that only succeeded to burn her tongue more. “I ordered _mild_!”

“C’mon!” Kiara managed between laughs. “It was funny!”

“I’ll get you for that!” Amelia moved her hand towards her clock. Somehow, Ryan knew something bad was going to happen. Suddenly, space started to contort around Ryan. He stumbled over, grabbing his head. When he regained his senses, he saw Kiara on floor face down, what was supposed to be Amelia’s tub of chicken scattered on the floor. Amelia was gremlin laughing while A-Chan and Enma ignored them as if this was a common occurrence.

“You okay, Ryan?” A-Chan turned her attention towards him.

“Yeah,” Ryan massaged his temples. “What just happened?”

“Well, Kiara-chan tripped over air and spilt Amelia’s chicken and then you hunched over in pain,” A-Chan explained.

“But-,” Ryan stared, but decided not to say anything. “I just got a bad headache. I’m alright.”

“Alright,” A-Chan nodded, but it was obvious to Ryan that she didn’t believe him.

“That’s what you get for trying to give Phoenix Fire Wings when I ordered mild!” Amelia shouted victoriously.

“How did you know?!” Kiara whiled as she stood up. “I only thought of that just now!”

“My magic clock told me,” Amelia answered, as if that answered everything.

“Stupid omniscient magic clock,” Kiara grumbled to herself.

 _What the hell?_ Ryan thought to himself. Clearly, something wasn’t right, but he decided not to ask questions. Not a lot of things were right at this KFP.

“I’ll clean it up,” Ryan offered, crouching down to start putting the ruined fried chicken in the tub that Kiara dropped.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in Britain, a man was sitting in a bar. His black, spiky hair was unruly and tangled, despite not being too long. He wore a blue trench coat over a checkered shirt and an eyepatch rested on his left eye. As space distorted around him, the shot glass disappeared in front of him. He scowled. “Ame, you shouldn’t be using that for petty things,” he grumbled to himself. He then raised his hand up slightly to hail the bartender. “Hey, old man! Get me a shot of Dragonson Liquor!”

As a shot glass slid across the table, he caught it, downing the alcohol in one go. “Man, I could really use some of that pork stew right about now. I wonder how it would go with smoked tarantula,” he rubbed his chin. “Sounds delicious.”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he pulled a batch of fried chicken out of the fryer. He really shouldn’t be complaining, considering he kept on demanding to spend more time in the kitchen as he didn’t really do much, but why did _he_ have to cook the replacement tub of chicken when _Kiara_ was the one who tried and failed to prank Amelia.

“How _is_ he?” He heard A-Chan ask.

“He’s alright,” Kiara’s voice could be heard responding to her question. “I’m not sure how much of his memory has come back, if any. He hasn’t unlocked magic, as you can tell, but Yo-chan went to visit him not too long ago.”

“Who are you talking about?” Ryan walked into the room, placing the mild wings in front of Amelia.

“No one,” Kiara said, but Ryan knew Kiara well enough to know that she was lying.

“You sure about that?” Ryan narrowed his eyes.

“Well…” Kiara looked at A-Chan nervously.

“A powerful mage is currently going though an… advanced form of therapy,” A-Chan replied. “This information could potentially be dangerous. It would be best if you forgot it.”

“Nah, we should test if he’s strong enough to protect himself!” Enma smiled. “Hey kid! Fight me!”

“I’ll have to pass,” Ryan sighed. “Forgetting I heard anything is probably less painful.”

“You got that *hic* right,” Amelia shuddered. “Enma-san is scary.”

“I’m not _that_ bad!” Enma protested.

“You decapitated Watame-san!” Amelia shouted, looking horrified at the memory.

“She respawned!” Enma shot back.

“Yeah, I’ll pass,” Ryan said.

“Sure, whatever,” Enma groaned. “But when you get your hands on a sword, I’m totally dueling you!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan waived his hand. Where the hell would he get a sword anyways?

Suddenly, something vibrated in A-Chan’s pocket. She took out her phone and sighed. “YAGOO did something again. I need to go help him out.”

“Ooh! Can I come?!” Enma shot her hand in the air excitedly.

“Of course, Enma-chan,” A-Chan smiled calmly as they stood up. “Thank you for the meal.”

“No problem,” Kiara smiled softly as the two left. As they did, Gura ran into the restaurant and tacked Amelia.

“There you are!” Gura hugged Amelia tightly. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Sorry, I just had to deal with a prankster over here,” she shot Kiara a glare, causing Ryan to snicker, patting his boss on the shoulder as she pouted.

“So, when are we going on our date?” Gura asked.

“Well why don’t you two have your date here?” Kiara asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“No way!” Amelia looked flabbergasted. “I am _not_ having a date in my co-worker’s establishment!”

“I thought you were a CEO,” Ryan said to Kiara. “Jeez, now I have two catchphrases.”

“Nevermind that!” Kiara chirped.

“Let’s go!” Gura dragged Amelia out of the restaurant.

“Well,” Ryan said, turning to Kiara. “That was interesting.”

* * *

Sabrina was watching a rerun of Hololive’s second festival when YAGOO walked into the room, a small girl at his side. For some reason, the girl’s aura felt familiar as her ocean blue eyes met her purple eyes.

“Who’s this, YAGOO?” The girl asked. “I feel like I’ve met her before.”

“You may very well have,” YAGOO smiled at the small girl. “This is Sabrina Godson. Sabrina, this is Anya Melfissa. An acquaintance of mine asked me to take care of her.”

“Nice to meet you, Anya,” Sabrina smiled. Anya… wasn’t that the name Zero gave to his weapon? She couldn’t remember too well. After all, Zero died four years ago.

“Nice to meet you too, Sabrina,” Anya said before turning her attention to the screen. “What is that?”

“Oh!” Sabrina turned as Fubuki ran onto the stage. “Come! Shirakami-san is about to sing her original song!”

Curiously, Anya sat next to Sabrina and watched the fox (cat?) girl’s performance, her eyes brightening as she watched. “This is amazing!”

“I know, right?” Sabrina smiled at the shorter girl. Anya stared at the screen with wonder. Maybe being a human wasn’t so bad after all.

* * *

Ryan sighed as he entered his apartment. He flopped on his bed, taking out his phone. He dialed up Sabrina’s number. For some reason, idol music started playing through the phone. “Hey, Sabrina,” Ryan sighed. “I don’t know if that music is you, but whatever. I got to meet Tenchou’s manager, whatever that means. She’s a CEO. How can she have a manager? Anyways, other than that, nothing all too interesting happened today. I mean, I thought I started hallucinating, though. One second, Amelia was burning her tongue on tea and the next, Kiara was on the floor with spilt chicken. I don’t know what happened, but something wasn’t right then. I might talk to Amelia about it, but I’m not sure I’ll see her again any time soon. Gura-san seemed really enthusiastic about that date. Anyways, I have an early day tomorrow. Night, Sabrina.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I kinda overslept last night. If I can help it, I'm going to upload twice today! Also, do you know who the man with the blue trench coat is? I hinted at his name in a previous chapter. Also, I'm considering adding other vtubers in on this fic. Unfortunately, I don't really follow Nijisanji, but I may add a couple independents or maybe a couple vtubers from VShojo. I don't really know. What do you think about this decision? Feel free to tell me in the comments, but until then, thank you for reading.


	13. Meeting the Man

Day 13: Meeting the Man

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara shouted through the phone. “Today is a very special day, Ryan!”

“What is it today?” Ryan asked.

“YAGOO is visiting the store today!” Kiara exclaimed. “I’m so excited!”

“Who’s YAGOO?” Ryan asked.

“He’s a really cool sage!” Kiara chirped. “He’s super strong and super easy to make fun of!”

“Shouldn’t you _not_ make fun of powerful people?” Ryan asked, facepalming at the memory of Kiara freaking out over A-Chan and Enma.

“Usually, but YAGOO is fun to joke about!” Kiara replied.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon,” Ryan sighed, hanging up the phone. Something told him today was going to be interesting.

* * *

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said as he walked into the restaurant. Kiara was waiting for him at the counter.

“Hey, Ryan!” Kiara smiled as he entered the store. “Did you sleep alright last night?”

“Yeah,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “Actually, I’ve been sleeping a lot better ever since I started working here.”

“Maybe it’s because I work you so hard!” Kiara exclaimed. “Maybe I should work you harder so you can sleep better!”

“I’ll pass,” Ryan grumbled as he walked over to the counter. “I’m going to go get changed.”

“Suit yourself!” Kiara chirped as Ryan entered the break room.

As Ryan got changed, a man and a small girl walked into the store. The man was wearing a business suit and tie and looked around 30-40 years old but looked otherwise completely normal. The girl had purple eyes and long, brown hair. “Good morning,” the man said, smiling at him and Kiara, who was wiping down the counter. “It’s been a while, Kiara-chan.”

“YAGOO!” Kiara shouted as the two sat down. “Who’s this? A new idol? That’s exciting! I’m Takanashi Kiara! It’s nice to meet you! What’s your name? Do you sing? Do you draw? I can’t wait to see your debut!”

“My name is Anya Melfissa…” The small girl looked down shyly, obviously overwhelmed by Kiara’s flow of questions. “I… uh…”

“Tenchou, you’re overwhelming her,” Ryan put a hand on his boss’s shoulder before turning to the small girl. “My name is Ryan Shade. Don’t mind my boss, here. She’s just excited to meet someone new. It’s nice to meet you, Anya-chan.”

“N-nice to meet you too,” Anya looked up, forcing a smile.

“I’m caring for Anya for the time being,” the one named YAGOO replied. “My name is Tanigo Motoaki. It’s nice to finally meet you, Ryan.”

“Likewise,” Ryan shook the man’s hand. “Tenchou has said a lot about you.”

“Has she now?” YAGOO chuckled. “Nothing bad, I hope.”

“Anyways!” Kiara cut in before Ryan could say anything about her. “What would you two like to eat today?”

“I’ll just have some mild chicken wings,” YAGOO replied.

“I’ll have what YAGOO is having,” Anya mumbled.

“Alright! I’ll go make it!” Kiara rushed over to the back.

“But-,” by the time Ryan opened his mouth to protest, his boss was already gone. “Whatever.”

“Ryan,” Anya said, catching Ryan’s attention. “What’s it like being a human?”

Ryan thought for a moment. Sure, it was an odd question to ask, but being a magical being and being a human are two vastly different things with vastly different lifestyles, so maybe it wasn’t all too odd. “Honestly, my experience hasn’t been too good until recently,” he answered honestly. “My memory concerning anything past a couple years is really fuzzy, but my life wasn’t all too great until recently. Until I got this job, I would spend my time alone with my thoughts. It really wasn’t fun after a while, but after I got this job, I met a lot of great people and made a bunch of friends. Meeting everyone certainly helped me see life in a more positive light.”

“I see,” Anya said, seemingly deep in thought.

“It seems that things have been going well for you here,” YAGOO said.

“Things _have_ started to look up for me since I started this job,” Ryan said, looking into the distance. “Not that my life was exactly the best before I got here, but I think I have found what I needed to become truly happy.”

“I see,” YAGOO nodded his head thoughtfully.

At this point, Kiara came back with two tubs of chicken, placing them in front of her two customers. “Here you go!”

“Thank you, Kiara-chan,” YAGOO smiled softly at the CEO. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Ryan, but I have somewhere to be.”

“Bye!” Anya stood up, bowing before she turned around to follow YAGOO out the door.

“That was anticlimactic,” Ryan said.

“Yeah,” Kiara said. “But tomorrow is going to be great!”

“What’s going on tomorrow?” Ryan asked.

“You’ll see,” Kiara winked.

* * *

After dropping off Anya back at the Hololive HQ to hang out with Sabrina, he opened a portal to America for a meeting. He sat across from a hooded figure his face unreadable. “Good evening, Shade,” he said.

“I assume you met Edhas, then,” Shade, the hooded man replied. “How was he?”

“He seems to be content with his current life,” YAGOO replied. “He’s been working at Kiara-chan’s establishment for the past couple weeks.”

“How are the girls reacting to him?” Shade asked.

“They’ve been receiving him very well,” YAGOO replied. “He’s made a lot of friends and they seem to be affecting him as positively as he’s affecting them.”

“I see,” Shade nodded his head. “Do you think he’s ready?”

“I do,” YAGOO said, a strong resolve shining in his eyes.

“Good,” Shade stood up. “Go notify Godslayer. He shall receive his memories tomorrow.”

* * *

“Where did you go?” Sabrina asked as YAGOO walked in. She and Anya were watching one of Fubuki’s recent livestreams. Anya looked ecstatic, clearly idolizing the cat (fox?) girl. Sabrina just calmly watched the stream alongside Anya, not caring to look at the man as he walked in.

“Shade gave the thumbs up to do it tomorrow,” YAGOO replied.

“He did?!” Sabrina jumped up from the couch to look at YAGOO, Anya looking at her with confusion.

“Yes,” YAGOO replied. “I just need to contact another source to return his magic.”

“Why can’t I just do it?” Sabrina asked curiously.

“The seal is a very advanced seal. There aren’t many people in the world that can do it,” YAGOO replied.

“I see,” Sabrina thought on his words for a moment. “I’ve never been really good at seal-work anyways.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” YAGOO said, before snapping his fingers and vanishing.

* * *

“Storm,” YAGOO appeared in an endless void before a cloaked figure. “It’s time.”

“Time, you say,” Storm had his back faced to YAGOO. “Perhaps it is, but perhaps not.”

“We’ve all agreed on it,” YAGOO said. “It’s going to happen tomorrow.”

“Time is such a fickle thing in the endless void,” Storm replied. “I shall be there, but not all things are in our control.”

“What are you implying?” YAGOO asked. Even as a sage, YAGOO sometimes could not decipher what the hooded man was saying. Of course, Storm was not one bound by the laws of physics, nature, or magic, so anyone would have a hard time understanding him.

“What I say is up for your interpretation,” Storm turned to face YAGOO. “But know your actions will dictate what will happen to him, and what will happen to the rest of the world.”

“I have accepted that burden long ago,” YAGOO said confidently.

“But can you live with the consequences?” Storm asked. Before YAGOO could reply, he vanished with a gust of wind. Storm turned around and sighed. “What will become of his dimension, I wonder?”

* * *

Ryan had spent the better part of an hour on his computer. He looked at the clock and sighed. _Time for bed_ , he thought as he turned off his computer. He stood up, stretching before walking over to bed and picking up his phone.

“I guess I should call,” Ryan sat down on his bed and dialed up Sabrina’s number. When it went to voicemail, he sighed again.

“Hey, Sabrina,” Ryan said, laying down on the bed. “I don’t know what’s happening tomorrow, but Tenchou thinks it’s something important. She refuses to tell me anything, though. I got to meet this guy named Tanigo Motoaki. For some reason, everyone calls him YAGOO. He seemed normal, but he’s kind of mysterious to be honest. He kept on asking me questions before just up and leaving. I don’t really know what to think about him, but I think I’m going to stay weary of him. Anyways, that’s all for today. I’m going to go. Goodnight, Sabrina.”

As he hung up the phone, he put it back on the nightstand and stared at the ceiling. “I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a bit short! In reality, I'm just setting up for the next chapter. I'm so excited! I'm going to get to explain Ryan's backstory finally! I hope you stay tuned for that. Until then, thank you for reading.


	14. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time

Day 14: Return

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara exclaimed her normal greeting through the phone. “You sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Ryan smiled. “What about you?”

“I slept alright,” Kiara replied. “You ready for today?”

“Why, what’s going on today?” Ryan asked. He had a feeling nagging at him since yesterday about what would happen.

“You’re coming here to work,” Kiara deadpanned.

“Very funny,” Ryan sighed. “Whatever, I’ll see you in a few.”

* * *

The first thing Ryan noticed that all the windows were covered. Even the glass doors were covered by paper. _What the hell?_ Ryan thought to himself. He figured that _something_ was happening if all the windows were covered. It’s as if Kiara didn’t want Ryan to see what was on the other side. Ryan sighed to himself and opened the door.

“Alright, I’ll bite. What the hell-,”

“SURPRISE!” A group of almost people shouted at once, all the blinds and covers being raised and/or torn down. Ryan immediately recognized their faces one by one. Calli, Gura, Amelia, Ina, Korone, Okayu, Rushia, Ollie, Fubuki, Matsuri, Coco, Kanata, Suisei, Miko, Pekora, Subaru, Choco, Aqua, Shion, Ayame, Botan, Lamy, Nene, Polka, Mio, Noel, Flare, Marine, and even Brianna decided to show up. As Ryan processed the situation, Kiara walked up to him and gave him a big hug.

“We all wanted to thank you for working with us for two weeks, so we decided to put together a little surprise party,” Kiara said as she pulled away, looking Ryan in the eye. “It’s been a lot of fun working with you and we’re all really happy that you decided to stay.”

“I…” Ryan’s voice faltered. He rubbed his eyes, sniffling a little bit. “Thank you.”

“Alright,” Kiara smiled. “Let the party begin!”

Ryan smiled as he went to the back to get changed. Even if they were celebrating him, he wanted to help out. He couldn’t leave Kiara to do everything by herself. He stepped out to the counter where Gura, Ina, Calli, and Amelia were sitting there chatting with Kiara, just like Ryan’s first day.

“Yeah, Ryan caught Calli and I making out the other day!” Kiara exclaimed.

“Kusotori, please don’t tell them about that,” Calli looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her right there and then.

“Hey, you’re not the one that almost died,” Ryan walked over to join the conversation. “It _was_ a funny experience, though.”

“Finally!” Amelia slammed the table with her open palm. “We’ve been waiting for concrete evidence on their relationship for _months_! Months, I tell you!’

“It’s nice to see their relationship _take flight_ ,” Ina nodded, causing Gura, Ina, and Kiara to laugh. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t _go up in flames_.”

 _Probably another inside joke,_ Ryan thought to himself as he turned to Korone, Okayu, and Fubuki who were sitting next to Calli.

“You know, Koro-san would love it if you-,”

“Not falling for that again, Nekomata-san,” Ryan said, though he almost was willing to give Korone his yubis because of the puppy eyes she was giving him. “How are you, Shirakami-san?”

“We are _friends_!” Fubuki shook her head. “Please call me Fubuki.”

“Same here,” Okayu said.

“I’ll let you call me Korone if you give me your yubis!” Korone chirped.

“I’ll pass if that’s the cost,” Ryan said.

“Fine!” Korone pouted. “You can call me Korone if you want.”

“Thank you, Korone-san,” Ryan smiled.

“Hey Ryan!” Kiara called over. “Yo-chan wants to tell you something!”

“Takanashi-san!” Brianna scolded her.

“C’mon! Just get it out already!” Kiara laughed wholeheartedly. “It’s easier if you do!”

“What is it, Yo-chan?” Ryan walked over and looked at Brianna.

“Actually, I _do_ have something to tell you…” Brianna moved her hand towards her mask. “My name isn’t Brianna Edhas. My name is-,”

Brianna was cut off by a sharp gasp from Kiara. “Someone broke the barrier!”

“What?!” Calli looked shocked. “That’s impossible! YAGOO made that barrier!”

Ryan then looked over to one of the upper windows and saw the faint image of a helicopter approaching. For some reason, his senses screamed at him to run. That this helicopter was bad news. His legs moved on their own. He jumped over, tacking Kiara. If it was nothing, he could explain that to her later. Unfortunately, that thought perished as a loud gunshot could be heard. The last thing Ryan heard was the sound of shattering glass and Kiara screaming before a sharp pain hit his temple and then, nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...


	15. Culture Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing beats a ground pound!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I'm going to be changing the audience tag to teen as I start using more action scenes, more swear words, and some more mature themes. No smut or anything like that, but I'm going to be diving into a bit of the darker parts of this AU. Again, nothing too bad or messy, just to the point where I thought that it should be changed to teen. I don't really want children reading after this point. I'm sure most of you aren't children, but I wanted to put the heads up regardless.
> 
> TLDR; There will be more bad words and fighting.

Day 15: Culture Shock

The jarring sound of an alarm clock woke Ryan. He sat up, frantically looking around. “A dream?” He asked himself. He then looked over to his phone, grabbing it. It wasn’t a phone call from Kiara, like he expected, but it was an alarm. He would have questioned it if the clock didn’t say 5:30 am. Kiara would always call him at five in the morning and he would be there no later than 5:15.

“Crap!” He shut off the alarm and shoved the phone in his pocket. He grabbed his hoodie and threw it on himself. He frantically looked around for his wallet, grabbing it and running for the door. He was halfway through the hallway when he forgot his shoes. He cursed to himself before running back and grabbing his shoes, putting it on frantically. Today was already having a great start.

* * *

“What would you like for breakfast, Anemachi?” Suisei asked her sister. Since Suisei had been spending so much time indoors streaming, Anemachi insisted on having breakfast outdoors. “This _was_ your idea, after all.”

“Hmm…” Anemachi rubbed her chin. “I heard there was this great Gyudon place down the street.”

As they turned the corner, someone suddenly ran into Suisei, causing both of them to stumble back. The person who ran into her scrambled to his feet, looking around frantically before offering her a hand.

“Sorry, Hoshimachi-san, I would love to stay and chat, but I’m late,” The boy said as he started to run off. “Feel free to stop by any time!”

After a few seconds of silence, Anemachi finally spoke up. “Have you two met before? I’ve never seen him around.”

“No,” Suisei shook her head, looking at the direction where the boy ran off to. “I don’t think I have.”

* * *

As Ryan ran through the alleyway, a wave of nausea hit him, causing him to stumble over. “Damn!” Ryan hissed as he got to his feet. “I haven’t felt nausea that bad since my first day!”

Kiara had explained to him that there was a barrier surrounding the KFP that deterred normal people and people with mal intent, and that the nausea he felt was him crossing through the barrier every day. As time went on, Ryan started to feel less and less nausea from crossing the barrier, but for some reason, the nausea hit him with full force.

He sighed, reasoning that he could walk the rest of the way. He dusted his sweats and started walking. It didn’t take too long for him to arrive to the KFP. Ryan stopped as soon as he walked out the alley. Something wasn’t right. The tungsten plating that was added on for when Coco visited were not there. What worried Ryan more was that the lights were off. The lights were _never_ off. As he walked over to pull the door open, he heard the soft sound of wind brushing his ears.

“KIKKERIKIII~!” Kiara’s voice permeated the area. Ryan didn’t jump, though. He was far too used to hearing her morning call over the phone. Instead, he smiled, turning to meet his boss.

“Morning, Tenchou,” he said. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Late? You’re early,” Kiara tilted her head in confusion. “Nevermind that! Let me unlock the door for you. Your clothes are in the break room.”

“I knew that,” Ryan muttered under his breath as he followed her into the store. He remembered his dream as he walked in. The place was so full and vibrant. A smile grew on his face as he remembered everyone. Korone and Okayu happily chatting amongst each other with Fubuki watching, a mischievous glint in her eye. Coco, Kanata, and Suisei happily laughing with a huge pot and an unreal amount of pork stew on the table. Shion and Aqua bickering while Choco and Subaru tried to break them up. Botan, Nene, Lamy, and Polka sitting at a table together, exchanging words over sake. Noel and Flare casually flirting while Marine and Matsuri giggled at each other, occasionally shooting the couple looks. Calli, Amelia, Gura, Kiara, and him talking about embarrassing moments as Calli covered her face with embarrassment. He missed that dream. He sighed, shaking his head. That moment will come one day. For now, he needed to change.

* * *

As Ryan finished changing his uniform, he walked out just in time for Calli to appear in a cloud of black mist. “Morning, Calliope-san,” he casually greeted the Shinigami, a cool smile on his face, getting a wine and a wineglass from one of the cupboards below the counter. “The usual, I assume?”

“Y-yeah,” Calli looked a bit shocked as Ryan poured her a glass of wine before looking at Kiara. “You got someone to work for you _and_ he already knows about my preferences? I’m impressed, Kusotori.”

“No, actually,” Kiara looked at Ryan, confused. “How _did_ you know?”

“C’mon, we’ve met before,” Ryan said, leaving the bottle on the counter, knowing Calli would go for more before long. “You alright, Tenchou?”

“Yeah. Well, that doesn’t matter. There are more important things to deal with, such as…” Kiara jumped over the counter, tackling Calli in a hug. “Calli!”

“Guh!” Calli grunted as Kiara collided into her. She used her free hand to attempt to push Kiara off her. “Get off, Kusotori!”

“Tenchou, we’re on the clock,” Ryan sighed. He remembered his first day, when he asked Kiara if he needed to call the cops. He resisted the urge to chuckle. He felt like a completely different person from the person he was back then.

“Ah! I’m sorry!” Kiara walked around the counter, stopping besides Ryan.

“Honestly, I expected you to call the cops or something,” Calli said to Ryan. “That’s what most people would do if some woman with a scythe appeared out of nowhere.”

“Well, I can’t do that to my boss’s _girlfriend_ , now can I?” Ryan winked at Calli.

“W-where did you get _that_ idea?!” Calli recoiled in shock, her face beet red. “We are _not_ dating!”

“Calli~,” Kiara pouted, faking a hurt expression as she made her two index fingers touch. “Why must you hurt me like so?”

“Shut up!” Calli gripped her scythe and swung it at her. Ryan tackled her, moving her out of the way, but a bit of his uniform was scratched.

“Sorry about that, Tenchou,” Ryan stood up instantly and looked at Calli. “I would appreciate it if there wasn’t any fighting at this establishment.”

“F-fine,” Ryan must have looked at least a _little_ intimidating because Calli just huffed and sat down.

“That was appreciated, but you didn’t have to do that,” Kiara said, standing up. “You could’ve gotten hurt.”

“Wouldn’t have been the first time,” Ryan muttered to himself.

“Anyways, when are the others coming?” Calli asked, sipping her wine.

“Right about…” Kiara paused as the doors flew open. “Now.”

“Sup!” Gura flew through the doors. “C’mon, Ame! You can’t just stand there and mope!”

“I’ll just stay here…” Amelia’s voice could be heard from outside. “Give me a few minutes…”

“Don’t worry,” Ina said as she followed Gura in. “She’ll be with is In-a minute.”

Kiara, Gura, and Ina laughed at her bad joke while Kiara just rolled her eyes. “I’ll talk to her,” Ryan sighed as he went around. Before any of them could protest, he was outside. He looked around to see Amelia sitting by the alleyway. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were red and puffy, huge bags weighing them down. Ryan sighed and sat next to Amelia.

“What’s up, Amelia?” Ryan asked. “You’re not usually like this.”

Amelia looked up at him, a combination of shock and hope through her eyes. “You’re here too?”

“What do you mean? I’m sitting right here,” Ryan said.

“No, I mean like…” Amelia shook her head. “You have your memory?”

“We both know I have a memory problem,” Ryan grumbled, referring to his amnesia.

“Well, you could’ve fooled me,” Amelia sighed, wiping her eyes. “I travelled two weeks into the past, your first day, and here you are. You shouldn’t even know me.”

“You _what_?” Ryan asked, shocked.

“What else could I do!” Amelia shouted, causing Ryan to recoil slightly. “You were dead! So many people were dead! You got shot in the head! Then they came and raided the place, guns blazing! Everyone who wasn’t immortal or bulletproof died instantly… I was lucky to have reached my clock in time… If not…”

Ryan could only look at Amelia as she dissolved into tears. He sighed. He could have his existential crisis later. He wrapped his arms around Amelia in an attempt to comfort her. “It’s okay. I’m alive now. We’ll get through this.”

* * *

Sabrina’s eyes flew open. She knew something was wrong. She jumped out of bed and dashed into the living room. She saw Shade sitting on the couch, his good eye shining in the candlelight as he sat, supporting his head with his knuckles while his elbows rested on his legs. “What happened?” Sabrina asked.

“Time has been altered,” Shade replied, causing Sabrina to gasp.

“If that’s the case…” Sabrina’s voice faltered. “There’s only one person that is capable of doing that…”

“Something must have gone terribly wrong in Japan,” Shade said.

“Edhas…” Sabrina whispered, looking down. What could have possibly happened for Amelia to turn back time to such an extent? Usually, she would only turn back time a few seconds or minutes, causing space to distort around them as the future changed, but if they can only sense the flow of the time stream being disrupted, then she must have travelled back at least a week.

“Godslayer,” Shade looked up to meet Sabrina’s eyes. “Go to Japan and see what’s happening. I’m afraid that this test must be postponed.”

* * *

In Britain, a guy in his chair snapped awake, subsequently falling over, his hand hitting a shot glass full of alcohol, causing it to spill. “Damn it!” He exclaimed, reaching for the desk to pull himself up.

“So, she used it, huh?” He asked himself as he stood up. “I guess I have to go to Japan to see what’s going on now. I better get some of Haato-chan’s cooking, though. That stuff is good.”

* * *

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Ryan asked as Amelia pulled away.

“A bit,” Amelia said, wiping her eyes.

“What happened?” Ryan asked.

“Well, after you tackled Kiara, a bullet shattered a window and hit you in the head. You died instantly,” Ryan shuddered as Amelia talked about his death. “Then, a whole team of MILF soldiers ran in, guns blazing. I don’t think they intended on taking any prisoners. One by one, everyone died… Kiara and I were safe because we were under the counter, but I could _hear_ their screams. All of them. When I heard Gura, I couldn’t take it anymore. I went back in time. Even if we couldn’t stop it from happening, I couldn’t live in a world without her…”

“It sounds like you love Gura-san very much,” Ryan said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I do,” Amelia sighed and looked at the KFP in the distance. “Damn, I was going to propose to her too.”

“You were?!” Ryan exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Amelia chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll have to wait.”

“Why wait?” Ryan asked. “Just get the ring and do it now.”

“But-,” Amelia started, but sighed, knowing that Ryan was right. “I’ll do it later. After all, we’re in the middle of a reunion. I can’t run off to go buy the ring now.”

“That sounds good,” Ryan smiled. He then took his phone out and gave it to Amelia. “You should put in your number. We’re probably going to have to make plans to prevent this whole mess from happening. I don’t know what I could do to help, but I’ll try my best.”

“You can help me by giving me your mom’s phone number,” Amelia joked, chucking weakly as she entered her phone number.

“Never in a million years,” Ryan laughed, standing up and offering Amelia a hand. “Let’s go back. No more of this sad shit. Let’s go and smile with everyone.”

“Yeah,” Amelia smiled, grasping his hand.

* * *

“Woah! How did you get her to do that?!” Gura exclaimed as the two of them walked in. “I could barely get her out of bed!”

“I just gave her my mom’s number,” Ryan said, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

“ _Ame!_ ” Gura whined. “We talked about this!”

“Aw, Gura,” Amelia gave Gura her signature gremlin laugh. “I’ll make it up to you, I _promise_.”

“You better!” Gura pouted.

“Also, Tenchou,” Ryan winked at his boss. “I think Amelia would prefer tea rather than salt.”

“How did you know?!” Kiara whined. “That was going to be so funny!”

“My magic clock told me,” Amelia answered, causing her, Ryan, and Gura to laugh.

“Are you going to tell her?” Ryan asked Amelia.

“I will when I do _the thing_ tonight,” Amelia replied.

“That’s fine with me,” Ryan said.

“Since when did you two become such good friends?” Gura narrowed her eyes.

“Relax, Gura-san,” Ryan chuckled. “I’m not going to go after your girl or anything.”

“Good,” Gura nodded before going back to her fish.

“Like fire and water, I swear,” Ryan muttered to himself as he walked behind the counter.

“Hey, Gura, there was somewhere I needed to go to,” Amelia said.

“Can I come?” Gura asked.

“Nope!” Amelia popped the ‘p’ in nope. “It’s a secret!”

“Ame!” Gura whined, her tail swishing back and forth.

“Speaking of which, I have to go to work,” Calli grumbled. “I’ll see you around, Kusotori, Ryan.”

Ryan waved as she disappeared in black mist. “Hey, Ina, I need a second opinion, can you help me out?” Amelia asked.

“Sure!” Ina stood up, smiling. “My commissions could wait.”

Gura’s face slumped as Amelia and Ina walked out. Ryan walked over to Gura and placed a hand on her head. “Don’t worry about her,” Ryan offered Gura a kind smile. “Amelia would probably kill me if I told you this, but she’s preparing a surprise for you.”

“Really?!” Ryan’s heart melted at Gura’s excited expression.

“Of course,” Ryan said. “Don’t you have a stream to get to?”

“Oh, you’re right!” Gura seemed to be too happy to notice that she never told him about her streaming career. “I’ll see you around, Ryan!”

As Gura ran out, Kiara looked at Ryan, a mischievous smile on her face. “What did Ame tell you she was going to do?”

Ryan shrugged, knowing that this wouldn’t affect anything. Kiara liked to make fun of Amelia, but she wouldn’t be as bad as to leak the news. “She’s proposing.”

“She is?!” Kiara practically jumped for joy. “I can’t wait to go to the wedding!”

Ryan smiled at this. No matter what place or time he was in, his Tenchou would always be his best friend.

* * *

Ryan plopped on his bed, looking at his phone. Should he call Sabrina? Well, no use to break the cycle now. He dialed up her number, which he’s long since memorized. When he pressed the call button, something that ne never expected to happen happened.

“Hello?” Sabrina’s voice came over from the other side of the phone. “Ryan? Are you okay?”

“Sabrina?” Ryan said, shock filling his voice. “I’m okay, but what about you? We haven’t talked in over a year.”

“Good,” Sabrina said, completely ignoring his question. “Stay put. I’m heading to Japan now. I’ll see you there.”

Ryan was about to talk, but the phone went dead. “What the hell?”

* * *

“It looks like someone went back in time,” Aloe said, eating one of her bento boxes, hearing Storm’s footsteps. “Do you have Anya?”

“I do not,” Storm answered, causing Aloe to turn around in shock.

“Does that mean..?”

“Yes,” Storm smiled behind his hood. “Time has rewritten itself. Nothing will be the same.”

**-KFP Arc end-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, time travel is cool and all, but Gura and Ame getting married?! Sign me up. I hope you enjoyed!


	16. Eye of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HAACHAMACHAMAAAAAAAA

Day 16: Eye of the Storm

Somewhere, in the depths of Hell (Read: Australia), a great beast awoke.

**“HAACHAMACHAMAAA~!”**

* * *

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara’s voice blasted through the phone. Ryan smiled softly. He really missed this. Even though he heard it yesterday, being shot in the head probably constitutes for something.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He slept like the dead last night, sleeping earlier than he had in weeks. “What’s up?”

“Can you come to work?” Kiara asked, a faux sweetness in her voice. Ryan sighed, remembering his second day and how grumpy he was. Now, his smile only grew. “I need a couple extra hands.”

“Sure, as long as I don’t lose any of my fingers in the process.”

* * *

Ryan cracks his back as he walks into the restaurant. “Morning,” He says, cracking his neck.

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara pops out from below the counter. “We’re going to be doing something very important today.”

“What is this very important thing?” Ryan asked, intrigued. If he remembered correctly, today was the day Pekora and Pekomama came over. He then thought back to the previous day. He did some googling on popular time travel theories and learned about something called the “butterfly effect”. The main premise of it is that when a butterfly flaps its wings, somewhere across the world, a hurricane starts. Maybe doing some things differently had altered the time stream to the point where nothing is the same. Ryan resisted the urge to sigh at his thoughts. He’ll take things as it goes.

“We’re going to be building a gaming console!” Kiara shot her arm in the air, childlike glee all over her face.

“Don’t you own a video game company?” Ryan asked. He knew this because he owned a Kiara Fried Phoenix Console.

“Yeah, but it’ll be fun!” Kiara said.

“Well, you’re the boss,” Ryan shrugged. Maybe his expertise in gaming alone for a year straight will finally come to good use.

 _W_ _ho_ _am I kidding? I wasted that year,_ Ryan thought to himself as he walked over to Kiara, who handed him a wrench.

“What the fuck is this?” Ryan looked at what Kiara was working on, which was a pile of dust and ash with a few nails on top of it.

“It’s my console!” Kiara chirped, giving him an expectant look.

“I’ll get the broom,” Ryan grumbled, making his way to the break room.

“OOHCHA!” Gura kicked both of the glass doors open. “GUYS, GUESS WHAT?!”

“It’s about time the gremlin got off her ass and put a ring on it,” Ryan said, sweeping up the specks of Kiara’s “console”.

“You knew?!” Gura hopped over to the counter to take a seat.

“Of course he did,” Amelia walked into the restaurant in a lot more casual manner than her fiancée. “He’s the one who told me to do it.”

“How come I’ve never met him before, then?” Gura turned to Amelia.

“That’s…” Amelia paused, looking away. A drop of sweat beaded her forehead. “A long story. I’ll tell you a little later.”

“C’mon!” Kiara said, wiping her eyes. She was honestly too attached to that pile of nails and ash. “I want to know the story too!”

“Trust me,” Ryan sighed. “You probably don’t.”

“Takanashi-san!” Brianna rushed into the door. “Do you know where-,”

She stopped when she saw Ryan. “Morning, Yo-chan,” Ryan waved lazily as he finished throwing the contents of his dustpan into the trash. “Man, it sure is crowded today. Isn’t it only the second day?”

“How do you know my nickname?” Brianna asked. Ryan assumed she was narrowing her eyes but couldn’t tell considering her mask.

“Amelia’s clock told me,” Ryan said. Brianna looked at Amelia, who nodded in confirmation before turning to Ryan.

“I think we’ve been through enough for you to call me Ame, though,” Amelia said.

“Whatever, Ame,” Ryan rolled his eyes, biting back a witty remark about how she was the only one dodging bullets. Whether Brianna knew the secret meaning behind their inside joke about the clock or thought that they didn’t want her to tell the truth was undeterminable, but she decided to not press on it.

“We need to have words later, Ryan,” Brianna grumbled. At that moment, someone else opened the door. A man, roughly six feet in height wearing a blue trench coat and a checkered shirt with dark brown cargo shorts. His short, jet black hair was unruly and spiky. He dawned a similar mask to Brianna, except the giant number 4 was replaced by a 3. He walked over and sat down next to Amelia.

“I’ll have the strongest alcohol you’ve got,” he said.

“Boss?!” Amelia looked visibly shocked at the man’s appearance. “What are you doing here?!”

“Who’s that?” Gura asked her curiously.

“He was my boss back in Britain before I was assigned here,” Amelia explained.

“I _do_ have this very strong alcohol, but as far as I know, only Haachama can drink this without passing out on the first shot,” Kiara said. “It’s 100 percent alcohol, somehow.”

“Ah, she _does_ take after me,” The man sighed. “I’ll have that.”

“Are you sure?” Kiara asked. “Even if you _have_ met Haachama and lived to tell the tale, it still might be a bit dangerous to drink.”

“Don’t worry about me, manager-san,” The man waved his hand dismissively. “You’re talking about the Dragonson liquor, right? That’s my favorite.”

“If you insist,” Kiara went to the back to salvage the alleged ‘dangerous alcohol’,

“Nice to meet you,” Ryan turned his attention to the man. “My name is Ryan Shade.”

“Shade tells me to use my code name, but you can just call me Jack,” the guy said.

“Nice to meet you, Jack,” Ryan said.

“I asked you a question, _Jack_ ,” Amelia playfully glared at her former boss.

“You know damn well why I’m here, _Amelia_ ,” Jack shot back.

“Ugh, do we really have to do this now?” Amelia rolled her eyes. “Kiara doesn’t know about the whole clock deal.”

“Fine, we’ll talk about this later,” Jack shrugged.

“Should I be involved in this conversation?” Ryan asked curiously, picking up on the whole clock thing.

“No/Yes,” Jack and Amelia said at the same time before the two of them turned to look at each other.

“You got him involved?!” Jack asked, almost shouting.

“It wasn’t _my_ fault!” Amelia defended herself. “It just happened!”

Jack sighed in defeat before turning back to the counter, putting his hands over his mask. “I should have seen this coming.”

“Ame, what’s he talking about?” Gura tugged Amelia’s coat, a worried expression on her face.

“I’ll tell you when we leave,” Amelia gave Gura a reassuring look. “It’s kind of a secret.”

“Okay,” Gura’s worried expression softened, but didn’t leave.

“HAACHAMACHAMAAA~!” For the second time that day, the door was kicked in. This time by a girl wearing a high school uniform.

“Haato-chan!” Jack turned around, excitement in his voice.

“Dragon-san!” The girl ran up and gave the tall man a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming to Japan!”

“I didn’t know you were leaving Australia!” Jack exclaimed.

“What kind of crazy…” Gura’s voice trailed off.

“Don’t ask,” Ryan caught Amelia whispering in Gura’s ear. “Apparently he likes her cooking.”

“What?!” Gura whispered back. “Last time I ate her food, I passed out for a week!”

Ryan shuddered. He did _not_ want to know what kind of “food” can cause a shark to pass out for a week.

“Found it!” Kiara walked over from the back and proceeded to almost drop the alcohol when he saw the schoolgirl. “HAACHAMA?!”

“Yep!” The girl chirped. “That’s me!”

“Haato-san! Can we go? I want to see what kind of meals you’ve come up with since I’ve last seen you,” Jack asked.

“Sure!” Haachama tugged on his arm, pulling him out of the restaurant.

“Ryan! Amelia! We’ll talk later!” Jack called as he was dragged off by the crazy high schooler.

“I guess I should follow them,” Brianna grumbled, walking off. “I swear, if someone dies because of the smell again, I’m going to be in big trouble.”

“Do I even want to ask?” Ryan looked at the three girls one by one.

“Nope,” they all said at the same time.

* * *

Ryan dialed up Sabrina’s number, not wanting to break the tradition.

“Hello?” Sabrina said through the phone. There was a lot of screaming going on in the background, so Sabrina’s voice could barely be heard.

“Hey, Sabrina,” Ryan said, obviously shook that she even picked up. “How are you?”

“I’m…” Sabrina paused. “I’m good! I’m in the airport right now. Lots of screaming babies.”

“DID YOU JUST CALL ME A BABY?!” Ryan could swear that Haachama’s voice could be heard in the background.

Before Ryan could say anything, there was a knock on the door. He knew who it was. He sighed, considering his options. “Hey, I have to go. Someone’s at the door.”

“Okay!” Sabrina sounded cheery as an explosion went off in the background. “I’ll see you soon!”

“Yeah,” Ryan hung up the phone, bracing himself for what was going to happen next. He walked over and opened the door.

“Hello, I am with the-,” The soldier was cut off when Ryan kneed him in the stomach. He knew that this wouldn’t really affect MILF, but Ryan had been bottling up his anger. Despite the fact that he was, well you know, dead for most of it, MILF had killed a great number of his friends. At first, he wasn’t too mad about it, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got about it. As the soldier hunched over, he held him down by then neck and grabbed his pistol, shooting him in the back of the head.

“That was for shooting me in the head,” Ryan said as the soldier fell to the floor, dead. Ryan watched the blood form on the floor before unloading the gun on the soldier. “And that was for my friends.”

He then took out his phone and dialed up Kiara’s number. “Hey, Ryan!” Kiara chirped through the phone. “What do you need?”

“Tenchou, I need a favor,” Ryan said.

“What is it?”

“Can you help me hide a dead body?”

* * *

“So, what’s this thing you wanted to tell me?” Gura asked as she closed the door behind Amelia before sitting on the bed.

“Well…” Amelia sat down next to her as her voice trailed off. Gura put a hand on hers, their wedding rings shining in the dim light. Amelia turned to look at Gura, who was giving her a kind smile.

“It’s okay,” Gura said, giving Amelia a kiss. “I’ll support you no matter what.”

“Okay,” Amelia forced a smile. Gura noticed this but didn’t say anything. She could tell that whatever Amelia went through was hard to talk about, so she just gripped her fiancée’s hand and continued to smile at her.

“Well, I actually came from two weeks in the future…” Amelia started. “That’s how I met Ryan. Yesterday was his first day at work. I admit that we’ve only talked a few times, but he treated me well, considering he is purely non-magical.”

“He’s non-magical?” Gura looked shocked at this. “He seemed so calm around Calli and Ina. He even reacted calmly when Calli attacked Kiara.”

“He was surprised the first time around, but he was still nice to all of us,” Amelia replied. “It all happened two weeks from yesterday when he… died.”

“What happened..?” Gura asked. She didn’t like where this was going, but she decided to press on anyways. She wanted to know what had Amelia so troubled. She was always so happy and cheerful, and to see her like this was worrying to say the least. Of course, Gura didn’t let it affect her relationship with her, but it was a reasonable cause for concern.

“Everyone was at the KFP. We were celebrating two weeks of the store being opened and…” Amelia wiped her eyes. “Ryan suddenly tackled Kiara all of a sudden. I didn’t know why at first, but then a bullet came out of nowhere and hit him square in the head.”

Gura tightened her grip as a reassurance that she was still there and listening. “Then a bunch of MILF soldiers stormed the joint,” Amelia’s voice started to falter. “My instincts told me to hide behind the counter, so I did. God, Gura… the screams… _your_ scream… I couldn’t…”

Gura pulled her fiancée into her arms. “Hey, it’s okay, Ame,” She stroked her hair. “What matters that I’m here now, and I’m not gonna leave you.”

“Yeah…” Amelia hugged her back. “We’re gonna be together forever…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! More AmeSame! Do you remember the name of the MILF soldier? Whoever comments it gets completely arbitrary internet points! Also, someone likes Haachama's cooking?! Ryan killing someone? How will this affect him! So much to unpack this chapter, yes yes! Until then, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	17. Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hellobo~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are wondering where my "Together" fic went, I took it down because I don't think I'm ready to write something of that style and caliber. There are a lot of things I have planned for that fic, and I'm not sure if I have the time or capacity to go through with such a project. I will reupload it when I start writing on it again. I hope you all can understand.

Day 17: Humanity

_“I’m not sure I can go to work tomorrow,” Ryan tried his best to hide his inner turmoil as he looked at the pile of ash._

_“Are you alright?” Kiara put a hand on his shoulder. Even though she’s only known him for a couple days, she knew two things. He cared enough for his boss to take a scythe for her, despite the fact she was immortal (she didn’t know if Ryan knew that or not, but considering he knew about her relationship, she assumed that he did), and that said scythe didn’t even faze him, so seeing him with such a conflicted expression on is face worried her slightly._

_“Your first is always your hardest,” Calli said._

_“Yeah, I guess,” Ryan sighed. “I just… need a bit of time by myself.”_

_“We should go,” Calli put a hand on Kiara’s shoulder._

_“I’ll see you soon, then,” Kiara felt the need to comfort her newest employee for some reason, but Calli was right. With a puff of black mist, the two vanished._

_“Fuck…” Ryan leaned on the closest wall before sliding down, curling up in a ball._

* * *

A ding on Ryan’s phone woke him. He groaned, not getting much sleep. He saw Amelia’s Instapound username and unlocked his phone.

 **YourMomsGremlin69:** Kiara filled me in on what happened last night. You alright?

 **KFPisnotacult:** I don’t really know, tbh. This whole thing has been messing me up

 **YourMomsGremlin69:** I pulled some strings and a counselor friend of mine is willing to see you

 **KFPisnotacult:** I killed someone though. I’m not sure I should be telling some rando that

 **YourMomsGremlin69:** Don’t worry about it. All us magic folk have a little blood on our hands. I’ll send you the time and location

 **KFPisnotacult:** I’m not sure I like what you’re implying, buddy

 **YourMomsGremlin69:** By the way your appointment’s in 10 min <3

 **KFPisnotacult:** Whatever

Ryan sighed. He didn’t know if he _should_ be talking about his recent murder case, but what he _did_ know was that he wanted to let it out. He knew from first experience that bottling things up wasn’t healthy, so maybe a clinician would help. He looked at the address that Amelia had sent him. “Time to go, I guess.”

* * *

“Thanks for the session, Roboco-senpai,” Amelia smiled at the high-spec robot. “I know this isn’t your specialty, but I wasn’t sure who else to ask.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Roboco’s high-spec bunny ears twitched as she smiled brightly. “I’m a high-spec robot! I can do anything I put my mind to.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to handle Ryan?” Amelia asked, causing Roboco to stiffen.

“When you brought it up last night, I consulted YAGOO’s archives and A-Chan,” Roboco said, artificial sweat beading her forehead. “Such a broken individual, yet so powerful…”

“Powerful..?” Amelia asked, eyebrow raised intrigued.

“Since you’re close with him, I believe you should have this information, but the files said that he should _not_ know this until deemed ready under _any_ circumstances, understand?” Roboco’s expression turned serious. Amelia nodded, understanding the severity of the situation from Roboco’s expression, as she rarely puts on such a face. Even when she’s serious, she has a smile on her face, but when that smile goes away, then something is definitely up. “Here’s what I found…”

-

When Ryan entered the room, he was surprised to see Amelia there. He immediately tensed when he saw her unsettled expression. He then saw the girl with the brown bunny ears, her expression deadly serious. “Morning, Ame,” he said to catch their expression.

“Oh! Morning Ryan!” Amelia’s smile instantly returned when she registered his existence. “This is Roboco-senpai.”

“Nice to meet you, Ryan,” a soft smile crossed the girl’s face. “My name is Roboco. I am a high-spec robot at your service.”

“Is this the one you wanted me to meet?” Ryan asked, more out of confusion than anything else. He may understand why someone would be unsettled with having a therapy session with a robot, but Ryan honestly didn’t care, honestly. If she didn’t process emotions or have memory, great. If YAGOO, Brianna, Suisei, or whatever figure who knew more than they let on was directly linked to her, then they get to know that he’s willing to kill and put his own sanity on the line for the magical community, therefore gaining their trust, and if she _did_ operate like a feeling, breathing human, then he wouldn’t have to know that.

“Yeah, I just had a session with her,” Amelia smiled at Roboco. “It really helped me out.”

“I assure you, even if I am not a human, I will do my best to listen and support you in any way I can,” Roboco said.

“Also,” Amelia smiled. “Before I go, I wanted to tell you I mailed a package for you. I suggest you not open it unless something goes horribly wrong.”

“What is it?” Ryan asked as Amelia opened the door.

“Call it some extra precautions,” Amelia winked. “Merry Christmas, Ryan.”

“Merry Christmas, I guess,” Ryan grumbled as Amelia closed the door.

“Please, Ryan, take a seat,” Roboco gestured to one of the comfy chairs in the room, which Ryan sat down in. “Amelia briefed me on the situation.”

“Normally, I would be mad, but in this case, it makes it a lot easier for me,” Ryan said. “Did she tell you about the clock situation?”

“I already knew about her time travel,” Roboco replied. “Your demeanor and interactions with Amelia made me infer that you somehow joined her from the future.”

“I guess they don’t call you high-spec for nothing,” Ryan muttered, sighing. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You flatter me,” Roboco gave Ryan a heartwarming smile. Ryan cursed whoever made her. Why did they have to make their robot so cute? “So, I have been told you committed murder?”

“Spoken so casually,” Ryan sighed. “Yeah, I guess that’s what happened.”

“Can you describe you felt while committing the act?” Roboco asked. Ryan shrugged. Normal therapy stuff.

“Well, I felt angry, for one,” Ryan started. “What happened… last time around was bottled up inside me. I was mad at the MILF for doing what they did. When I saw a MILF soldier… I just… snapped.”

“I see,” Roboco’s smile faded, giving a more concerned look. “What did you feel after the action?”

“Well, I felt… bad,” Ryan had to ponder on the question for a few seconds, but eventually found the answer. “I mean, that man had a family, didn’t he? I took a life. I know that he might have eventually taken mine, but still. I feel bad.”

“I understand,” Roboco’s soft smile returned as she reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder, looking Ryan in the eye. “It seems that you are still a good person, despite your actions.”

“Good person?” Ryan chuckled a little bit. “How could me murdering someone be the act of a good person?”

“Why did you kill that man?” Roboco asked, being surprisingly direct.

“Isn’t that obvious? I did it to keep my…” Ryan paused as the point Roboco was trying to make started to form in his head.

“And you still feel bad, correct?” Roboco asked.

“Yeah,” Ryan looked down, thoughts swirling in his head.

“Life is full of tough decisions,” Roboco said, keeping her tone as comforting as possible. “You did what you did for your friends. The world isn’t exactly a friendly place. You did what you had to do to keep your happiness alive.”

“I guess you’re right,” Ryan shrugged. “Doesn’t make me feel better about it, though.”

“I understand,” Roboco replied. “Taking a life has never been easy, and I would never tell you to just bounce back. Getting through this won’t happen overnight. People like me and Amelia can help you, but this is a journey you must take yourself.”

“I see,” Ryan closed his eyes. “Thank you, Roboco-san for helping me find the direction I needed to take.”

Roboco then surprised Ryan by pulling Ryan into a hug, his head slightly above her chest. Ryan’s ear pressed on her hoodie, the sound of a heartbeat slightly taking him aback. “People have told me that listening to the sound of one’s heartbeat helps them calm down.”

Ryan was about to protest but stopped. She was right. The sound of her heart beating _was_ calming. He closed his eyes. “Well, those people were really onto something.”

* * *

Amelia sat on her chair, thinking about the information Roboco had told her. Ryan was _that person_? She wanted to ask how it was possible but refrained. She was a time travelling, shark marrying, mom pounding menace, so she didn’t really have much room to complain. She sighed. Maybe she’ll call Gura. Yeah. That sounded like a good idea. “What did I get myself into?”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he walked out of the building. What was he going to do next? Maybe he’d stop by the KFP. Spending time with Kiara never did him any harm. As he walked, a tugging sensation started to form in the back of his head. Almost as if he was being watched. He sighed, not unused to the feeling, but remembered something Kiara mentioned off hand the first time around. He made three right turns, ending up in abandoned alley. When he confirmed that the feeling didn’t go away, he stopped.

“Hoshimachi-san,” Ryan said casually, not turning around. “If you wanted to talk, you could have just asked.”

“How did you know it was me?” With a gust of wind, Suisei appeared behind him.

“Just a gut feeling,” Ryan turned to meet her. He wasn’t _lying_ per say, he just conveniently left out the part where this has happened before. “What did you want to ask?”

“What’s your affiliation?” Suisei asked. “Are you with MILF? Are you with another agency? How did you know my name? How did you meet Amelia?”

“One question at a time,” Ryan sighed. “Look, it may not look like it, but I’m really just a fast-food worker. I live to make ends meet. Ame’s my friend. Us meeting is… a long story. She’d probably have my head if I told you, though. Look, I just spilled my guts to a robot. Maybe ask her?”

“You could have been lying to Roboco-san,” Suisei said, her eyes narrowing.

“If I lied the whole time, what would be the point of the therapy meeting?” Ryan asked. That caused Suisei to pause.

“You have a point…” Suisei admitted. “That doesn’t clear you from anything, though.”

“Look, how about this,” Ryan held his hands up in surrender. “You can keep stalking me or whatever. It’s not like I’m not used to it anyways. Just don’t kill me, please. I already took _one_ day off. Tenchou wouldn’t be happy if I took another.”

“Why would she-,” Suisei was about to comment on how Kiara would be mad about Ryan taking another day off despite him being hypothetically dead but stopped when she considered the treatment of her previous employees. “You have a point. I’ll leave you for now.”

“You know, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of being friends,” Ryan said. He wanted to build the connections he had the first time through. He missed all of them, despite meeting most of the people once or twice.

“Friends?” Suisei chuckled. “You’re an interesting fellow, Ryan. I’ll give you that. We’ll meet again.”

As Suisei vanished with the wind, Ryan chucked. “That we will.”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he got to his house. He turned on his phone and sighed. He really wasn’t in the mood for talking, so he decided to send Sabrina a text. He started typing on his phone.

_“Hey, Sabrina. I went to therapy today. It really helped me out. I mean, the person didn’t really give me any groundbreaking advice, but I was just kind of lost. I think I really needed someone to tell me where I was for me to remember. I’m feeling a lot better now. I guess I’ll see you soon. Goodnight.”_

Ryan put his phone on the nightstand as he sent the message. As he closed his eyes and fell asleep, the phone dinged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! For my JP bros, it's already Christmas Day and for us Oversea bros, it's Christmas Eve. Since I'm no good at writing themed chapters, especially for something like this, I'm deciding to do something else. I want to open a Christmas Q&A about my fic(s). I understand that some of the concepts I introduced may be a bit confusing, so I'm willing to answer whatever questions you have about them, or anything in general. Please type in your questions in the comments and I will upload a Q&A chapter when I get enough questions to answer. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading.


	18. Reporter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New character!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Please don't forget that there is a Q&A going on for this fic! Please comment your questions down below!

Day 18: Reporter

_Sabrina was having a not good evening. After getting her text from Ryan, she texted back that she went shopping, and not wanting to lie completely, she decided to go out shopping. About fifteen minutes in, she felt a presence following her, which leads to now._

_“You’re supposed to be dead,” Sparks flew across Sabrina’s fingertips, threatening to ignite. The person before her with an oddly familiar body figure. He wore a black zip-up jacket and black jeans. His hair was short and unruly, almost as if it hadn’t been brushed in days. The figure dawned a familiar mask, but unlike Sabrina’s mask which had a 4, Jack’s mask which had a 3, or even Shade’s mask that had a 1, this person had a giant 7 covering his mask._

_“I guess you’re right,” The figure replied. “But since the universe has been treating my main man so badly,_ someone _decided to bring me back around for me to lend a hand.”_

 _“If that’s the case, what should I call you, since_ he _adopted your name since your departure,” Sabrina asked, narrowing her eyes._

_“Feel free to call me Reporter,” the figure replied._

_“Okay,_ Reporter _,” Sabrina spat out the “name”. “Since you either decided to come back from the dead or possess the body of my best friend, what message was_ so _important that the doors of death couldn’t keep you from delivering this news?”_

 _“Just show up to KFP tomorrow,” Reporter replied, turning his back to Sabrina. “Oh, and don’t bring your mask, or_ he _will have to get used to a lot of things_ real _quick.”_

_Sabrina opened her mouth to talk, but by the time she did, she was alone. “Well fuck.”_

* * *

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara shouted through the phone.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said, a smile creeping on his face.

“Are you feeling better?” Kiara asked.

“Yep!” Ryan tried his best to give a cheery response but cringed shortly after. Constantly deadpanning seemed to be a better mood for him.

“That’s good!” Kiara’s enthusiasm easily trumped his own. “Because I need you in! Some people have already showed up, and as the ever-so-nice manager, I decided to open up for them!”

“I don’t-,” Ryan stopped himself when he realized he was talking to himself. “Sure, Tenchou. I’ll be there in 10.”

“Good,” Kiara chirped as she hung up the phone.

“That’s weird,” Ryan muttered to himself as he put on his hoodie. “I don’t remember someone coming in early today. Then again, my memory has never been all too good anyways.”

* * *

“Ryan!” Ryan was thoroughly shocked when a familiar girl barreled into him. Sabrina looked up at him, a huge smile on her face.

“Hey, Sabrina,” Ryan said casually. It took a couple seconds to process what he just said. “Sabrina!”

Ryan crushed his old friend into a hug. “It’s been so long! How have you been?!”

“So, you two know each other?” Kiara winked at Ryan.

“Teasing you for your relationships for _my_ job,” Ryan deadpanned.

“This is nice and all, but this isn’t a social visit,” Ryan looked to the other person in the room. The man looked exactly like him, or his body structure did. If he put on his clothes and a mask, Ryan would look exactly like the person before him. He noted that the mask was similar to Jack’s and Brianna’s, except there was a giant number 7 instead of a 3 or a 4. “Kind of.”

“You still haven’t told me the purpose of this, _Reporter_ ,” Sabrina pulled away from Ryan to stare at the man, having an obvious disdain for the title.

“Well, I _am_ named Reporter, so I’m here to do my job,” Reporter, as he was named, shrugged.

“Well, let’s get this over with,” Sabrina pulled Ryan to the counter.

“Sabrina, I have to work,” Ryan said.

“Let the man change,” Reporter said. Ryan could almost _feel_ the smirk behind Reporter’s mask. “Maybe you can sneak a peek.”

“I’ve been stalked and peeped on more than enough already, thank you very much,” Ryan grumbled, conveniently not looking at Sabrina when she gasped, her face turning red.

“I would know,” Reporter chuckled. The scary thing about this new world Ryan found himself in was that he didn’t even know if Reporter was joking or not.

Whatever,” Ryan cracked his back and went off to get dressed.

* * *

“So,” Kiara, the store manager leaned over to Sabrina as Ryan closed the door. “You know Ryan, huh?”

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for a while,” Sabrina said, not noticing the slight flush in her cheeks. “What about it?”

“Well, I’ve only known him for a few days,” Kiara sighed. “He’s an… interesting one to say the least. It _feels_ like I’ve known him longer than I have, but at the same time, he feels like a complete stranger to me.”

“I understand how you feel,” Sabrina sighed, looking at the door to the break room. “Last time I saw him, he was a mess of anxiety and emotions, but now… he’s just so calm… and what I’ve heard down the grape vine… I can hardly believe he’s the same person anymore…”

“So, I guess we’re on the same boat,” Kiara sighed. “He seems nice, though. I hope he feels the same way, though.”

* * *

Ryan opened the door to see Kiara and Sabrina deep in conversation and Reporter just tapping away at his phone. “Well, I see at least some of you are getting along,” Ryan said, catching the attention of everybody in the room.

“Alright, I can finally get started,” Reporter sighed. “Anyways, as much as I want to run around kicking names and taking ass, I have to abide by certain rules. The main purpose of gathering you all is to make you all aware that I’m alive or whatever. I’ve recently got into contact with some pattaphysical beings and I’m kind of their messenger of sorts.”

“Hold up,” Ryan said. “What the hell is a pattaphysical?”

“You _really_ don’t want to know unless you want your worldview changed,” Reporter replied. “It really fucks you up once you know they exist.”

“Alright, I guess I won’t ask,” Ryan sighed.

“Did you really call us here just so you can tell us you exist?” Sabrina asked.

“Well, there were a few bumps in the road, I think,” Reporter scratched his head. “My contact hasn’t gotten back to me, so there’s not much I can do.”

“What do they want from us?” Ryan asked.

“They just want to ask a few questions,” Reporter said, looking at his phone. “Oh! I got to go. Also, my contact told me to tell you to turn on the TV.”

“What?” Ryan asked, but when he turned to Reporter, he was gone.

“I hate it when he does that,” Sabrina muttered.

“Do you want me to turn on the TV?” Kiara asked. The two turned to her as if they didn’t even know she was there.

“Sure,” Ryan sighed.

Kiara turned on the TV and Ryan was thoroughly shocked when he saw Amelia’s face on the tv. He then read the headline.

**_Watson Construction denies deal with UN_ **

_CEO of Watson Construction Amelia Watson refuses to deal with United Nations’ MILF branch_

“It’s quite plain and simple,” Amelia said, her smug smile plastered on her face. “MILF is full of assholes.”

“Are there any other reasons besides… that?” The reporter asked.

“Their moms were a lousy pound,” Amelia shrugged, pulling out a pistol. “Because of that, they get to lose out on this.”

“It has been brought to my attention that the weapon you are holding is part of your new branch of weapons manufacturing,” The reporter said, a hint of fear in their voice. “Would you know _why_ the United Nations is so eager to get their hands on such weapons?”

“Sure!” Amelia gave the reporter her signature gremlin laugh. “In fact, let me show you.”

Without warning, she pointed her gun to the camera and pulled the trigger. With a loud crack, the screen went black.

“I think that’s enough of that,” Kiara sighed, turning off the TV. “Why does Ame need to pull of these stunts? She’s going to blow our cover.”

“They deserved it,” Somehow in the span of time between the gunshot and now, Amelia found her way to the KFP. “At least I _hope_ they got the message.”

“I’m sure they got a message.” Ryan sighed. “Whether or not they got the one you wanted to send is up for debate.”

“Fair enough,” Amelia chuckled before turning her attention to Sabrina. “So, _you’re_ the Sabrina I’ve heard so much about, am I right?”

“Yeah, and?” Sabrina asked, narrowing her eyes. Her expression only made Amelia’s smirk widen.

“Can I have your mom’s number?” Amelia asked.

“Ame, you’re getting married,” Ryan said. As if he spoke of the devil himself, the door busted open.

“Ame! I thought we talked about this!” Gura gabbed Ame by her coat and started to drag her off.

“How did you even know?!” Amelia shrieked as she skidded across the floor. Gura stopped and turned to Ryan.

“Thanks,” she said.

“No problem,” Ryan smirked. “I’m invited to the wedding, right?”

“You bet!” Gura shot her fist in the air, walking out of the restaurant while Amelia screamed about traitors or something like that. Ryan was too busy plugging his ears to determine.

“You’ve met an interesting bunch,” Sabrina said to Ryan, who unplugged his ears after confirming that the couple was gone.

“Yeah,” Ryan said. “And I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Sorry this chapter was a bit short. I'm kind of drained after Christmas. If you're wondering about what pattaphysical means, it's an SCP term. Long story short is it has to do with a higher power such as a writer that has control over whatever universe or dimension, in this case, the KFP dimension, so all your questions will be directly asked to the characters. Thank you for reading and please submit your questions in the comments below.


	19. Acerola Juice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Konkapu~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note that the Q&A is still going on! Please submit your questions in the comments!

Day 19: Acerola Juice

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara exclaimed through the phone. Ryan cracked his neck and looked at his phone. 1:23 am. That was an odd time to be calling.

“What’s up, Tenchou?” Ryan asked. He tried to think back to the first time around to remember if she called at this time, but he was probably dead asleep, so he didn’t have an exact answer.

“Can you come to the KFP?” Kiara asked. “I got a reservation for 1:30 and I was hoping you would join me.”

“Who the hell reserves a fast-food joint at this time of night?” Ryan asked. “Also, since when did we do reservations?”

“You’ll find out,” If Ryan was there in person, he was one hundred percent sure that Kiara would have offered the employee a wink.

“Alright, I’ll be there in five,” Ryan said, playfully rolling his eyes as he hung up the phone. He wanted to complain about being called at the most random time, but he had nothing better to do. Plus, he had to learn the hard way that you don’t know what you really have until it’s gone. He hoped not to be shot in the head again. _That_ was an excessive way to learn a lesson.

* * *

“Konkapu~!” Ryan jumped slightly when a girl’s voice came out from behind him in the middle of nowhere in a pitch-black alley.

“You shouldn’t scare people like that,” Ryan turned around, his hands in his pockets and staring into the eternal abyss, trying his best to look intimidating and casual at the same time.

“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t intend to scare you!” A girl wearing a short skirt and a bat pin on her hair skipped into view. “What brings you here at this time of night? Are you a vampire as well?”

“I feel like that’s either the most creative insult to my terrible sleep schedule or I’m just looking too deep into this,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “I’m just a normal human. Well, normal is up for debate, but I assure you, I _am_ human.”

“Huh? I thought humans weren’t allowed here,” The girl put a finger to her chin and titled her head.

“I have no idea how YAGOO’s barrier was made,” Ryan remembered the off comment Calli made before he got shot. “All I know is that I’m heading to work.”

“Ah, so you’re working at Kiara-chan’s KFP?” The girl asked. “Huh, last I checked the files, you shouldn’t know this much.”

“Knowing a name is too much?” Ryan asked. “You know what? You’re making me ask too many questions. If you’re not going to kill me, I’m just going to head off to work.”

“Oh! We’re heading to the same place!” The girl’s smile grew. “Want to walk with me?”

“Why not?” Ryan sighed. “There _is_ only one way there, I guess.”

* * *

“Ryan! Mel-senpai!” Kiara waved the two over as they walked in. “You two have met before?”

“Nope,” Ryan shrugged. “Well, I’m going to get changed.”

“I’ll have some Acerola juice!” The girl, who Ryan now knew as Mel walked over to the counter and plopped down.

Ryan heard another voice as he closed the door to get changed. When he opened the door again, he saw another girl sitting next to Mel. What caught Ryan’s eye was the floating rings with hair attached to them. He resisted the urge to shrug at his own thoughts. Must be some magical accessory. After all, it _did_ look stylish.

“Alonaaa~,” The girl spoke right as Ryan started to ponder whether or not to blow his next paycheck on whatever that girl was wearing. “My name is Aki Rosenthal. People call me Akirose.”

“Ryan Shade, people tend to call me a disappointment,” Ryan said. “Nice to meet you, Akirose-san.”

“You’re not a disappointment,” Kiara smiled at him. “Most of the time.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Ryan sighed, before lowering his voice. “Says the one who failed to get Calliope-san’s milk twenty-seven times.”

“How do you even know about that?!” Kiara exclaimed. “And it was _twice_!”

“No, it was twenty-seven,” Aki deadpanned, causing Mel, Aki, and Ryan to laugh while Kiara glared at her.

“What would like to eat?” Ryan asked.

“Nothing, for now. I got this,” Ryan looked away out of respect (read: not wanting to get bonked) when Aki shoved her hand between her thighs. When he looked again, a tub of KFP chicken was on the counter.

“What just happened?” Ryan asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Kiara shuddered.

“That’s implying that you’ve seen,” Mel said. Everyone turned to Aki, who just smiled suggestively and winked.

“I’m telling Calliope-san,” Ryan said without a second thought.

“That was last year!” Kiara protested.

“Kiara-chan, you’ve known Calli-chan for thousands of years,” Aki reminded her.

“Oh,” Kiara’s shoulders slumped. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

Ryan nudged her. “Depending on what happens, the way you’ll end up being screwed can change.”

“You’re right!” Kiara’s eyes shot up. “Thanks, Ryan! I’ll be right back!”

A few moments of awkward silence passed after Kiara dashed off before the three started laughing. “She’s dead, isn’t she?” Ryan asked, half-joking.

“Yep,” Mel smiled at Ryan as if his statement were completely serious.

“GET BACK HERE KUSOTORI!” Ryan dived just in time to miss a blade of darkness as the doors opened.

“No fighting in the establishment!” Ryan shouted as he hit the floor.

“Fighting is perfectly fine!” Kiara shouted as she flew over the counter before lowering her voice so only Ryan could hear. “I think it was assault that you were thinking of.”

“I _would_ protest, but I’ve met Natsurio-san,” Ryan sighed. When he noticed that Calli hadn’t come to murder her girlfriend yet, he peeked up.

“RYAN! GET HER FOR ME!” Calli was tied to a rope with both Mel and Aki pulling her back..

“Where the hell did you get the rope?” Ryan asked.

“Don’t ask,” Mel sighed.

“Feel free to ask all you like,” Aki smirked slyly.

“As much as I would love to ask, but I feel like someone,” Ryan glared at a random direction, where he was fifty percent sure that Suisei was hiding, “would disapprove.”

“Am I safe?” Kiara peeked her head out. When she saw Calli tied up, she dove over the counter. “An opportunity!”

“Nope!” Ryan grabbed Kiara’s collar and pulled her back. “We are _on the clock_ , Tenchou. Understand?”

“Yes Ryan,” Kiara looked down, as if she were a child being scolded for stealing a candy bar. In many ways, Ryan felt like he _was_ scolding a child.

“Thanks for that,” Calli sighed as Aki and Mel untied her.

“You’re only safe until I clock out,” Ryan said. “I do not take sides.”

“You’re going to die a painful death, you know that?” Calli glared at Ryan, her crimson eyes glowing for dramatic effect.

“Been there, done that,” Ryan waved her off before turning to Aki. “You’re paying for your chicken, right?”

“Well, I made it myself, so no,” Aki gave Ryan a kind smile while Calli looked at Ryan, confused at his… odd dismissal.

“For the sake of my sanity, I’ll just agree with you,” Ryan shook his head.

Kiara stood up as the three took their seats. “So, did you hear about the stunt Ame pulled yesterday?” Kiara asked.

“It’s nice that she’s supporting _us_ , though,” Mel said.

“From what I know, Ame started a weapons branch,” Ryan said. “Out of curiosity, _why_ would you all need weapons?”

“Every idol agency needs guns, right?” Kiara asked.

“For the last time, Tenchou,” Ryan said. “I refuse to believe you’re an idol.”

“This is the first time we’ve talked about this, though,” Kiara looked genuinely hurt.

“Really?” Ryan turned to Kiara. “I thought we’ve been over this before.”

“We haven’t,” Kiara replied. Ryan resisted the urge to facepalm at himself. Everything was blending together at this point.

“Huh, must be the nausea,” Ryan muttered to himself as he leaned on the counter. “Mel-san, aren’t you a vampire? Why didn’t you order blood or something like that?”

“Ah! I don’t really like hurting things, so I just drink Acerola juice instead,” Mel replied, a bright smile on her face.

“That’s… oddly wholesome,” Ryan said. “Didn’t expect that from a vampire.”

“I’m special,” Mel’s smile only widened.

 _-100 hp! Critical hit!_ Ryan had leaned to stand still when his heart took critical hits after meeting Ojou.

“Are you okay?” Kiara asked, noticing the sweat beading on Ryan’s forehead.

“Fine,” Ryan said, straining himself. Suddenly, an alarm went off. Ryan had to look away again when Aki crammed her hand in between her thighs again. When he turned his head again, she was holding a phone.

“Ah! Our collab stream is in 10 minutes!” Aki gasped.

“Crap! We need to go!” Mel and Aki stood up. As they opened the door, Mel turned into a bat while Aki’s hair receded into her rings as they grew in size. When Aki jumped, she landed on the rings and floated off.

“I’m not going to ask,” Ryan sighed.

* * *

“Damn Watson Construction not giving us better weapons,” A shadowy man slammed his closed fist on the desk in front of him. “We’re outgunned.”

“Don’t worry,” A shady man on the other side of the table smirked. “China has recently developed a new branch of weapons thanks to a certain… Unicorn.”

“A unicorn, you say?” The shadowy man asked. “That is… quite interesting.”

* * *

A woman snapped awake to the sound of shattering metal. She fell on her hands and knees, silver blood dripping onto the floor.

“C’mon! We have to get out of here!” A familiar voice was heard as she was supported up.

“Yo…” the woman started as she took a step, being supported by an unknown figure.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” the voice shushed her. “All of us are in hiding. We’re here to bust you out.”

“Shit! She’s escaping! Call for backup!” A man shouted.

“Crap!” The voice cursed. Sounds of gunfire, a beam being shot, and an explosion was heard before the woman drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * *

“So, what do you think?” Aloe said, watching Ryan walking home on a TV while sitting on a couch.

“I think I will have to enter the physical plane tomorrow,” Storm replied, standing behind the couch.

“Are you going to give him _that_?” Aloe turned to look at Storm.

“There is a high chance that I will,” Storm replied.

“If you will, can you give him this?” Aloe opened her palm, and a glowing ball of light formed, floating slightly above her palm.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Storm reached his hand over, closing it on the ball of light. “You know what will happen if things go wrong.”

“I want to do anything I can to help,” Aloe replied. “Plus, if things go wrong, time will just reverse again, right?”

“I’m not in charge of that,” Storm said, moving his hand back inside his cloak. “But I don’t think things will go wrong this time.”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he closed the door. Since he had met Sabrina the day before, he didn’t really feel a reason to call her anymore. He plopped on the bed, noting that the tugging feeling on the back of his head preventing him from falling asleep.

“Goodnight, Hoshimachi-san. Yo-chan,” He said before closing his eyes, snuggling with the blankets.

* * *

“Yo-chan?” Suisei asked as she peered into his window.

“How did he know I was there?” With a gust of wind, Sabrina revealed herself, her mask on.

“I guess he’s just gotten used to us stalking him,” Suisei replied. “Speaking of which, why _are_ you following him?”

“I just want to make sure my friend is staying safe,” Sabrina replied before turning to Suisei. “Why are _you_ following him?”

“Well, I didn’t know if he was a threatening existence or not, but if you trust him, I don’t see why that would be the case,” Suisei sighed.

“I don’t know about that,” Sabrina shuddered. “We need to keep him safe, or else.”

Suisei nodded, and with a flash of light, both of them were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a chapter. Thank you for reading! I might be adding Holostars idols in a few chapters so stay tuned for that! I'm not sure what to put here at this point, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to leave any questions you have for the characters in the comments!


	20. Uh Oh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuck your friend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the Q&A is still going on

Day 20: Uh Oh

“RYAN!” Ryan was thoroughly shocked to hear Amelia’s voice instead of Kiara’s that morning when he woke up to the phone.

“What’s up?” Ryan asked. “I really need to head to work… wait… wasn’t Kiara playing ‘Call of Duty’ with Calliope-san or something?”

“About that,” Amelia said. “The MILF raid went south. They’re holding Kiara hostage.”

“WHAT?!” Ryan shot up, instantly awake. “What the hell happened?!”

“Apparently MILF has these new laser weapons or something,” Amelia replied. “I don’t know how it happened, but Kiara is being held hostage. I don’t know where Calli went, but I need help.”

“Fucking MILF,” Ryan grumbled. “Just when things were looking up.”

“Remember that package I got you?” Amelia asked.

“Yeah, it’s sitting unopened by the door,” Ryan replied, remembering the “Emergencies Only” Christmas package Amelia got him. “What about it?”

“Open in and meet me at the location I’m sending you in thirty minutes,” Amelia said before hanging up.

Thoroughly pissed off at the circumstances, Ryan got up and opened the gift wrapping on the package Amelia had got him. He saw a big, metal box with a “Watson Construction” label on the box. He unlatched the latches on the box and opened it. A wicked smile crossed his face. Finally, a good way to let off some stress.

* * *

“Like the present I got you?” Amelia smirked at Ryan as she loaded an assault rifle, chewing on a bullet casing.

“You look unintentionally badass,” Ryan said as he looked at the twin fully automatic pistols in his pocket. He had to admit that it _was_ a good Christmas gift, considering the circumstance.

“Who said it was unintentional?” Amelia held out her hand and two silencers willed themselves into existence with a faint, yellow glow. “Put these on. This is a stealth operation.”

Ryan sighed. As much as he wanted to run in, guns blazing, he was a normal person. And these guys had laser weapons. Stealth was probably a good idea.

* * *

Somewhere in America, black mist started to form as Calli appeared in front of a graveyard. She looked down at a particular grave and sighed. She put a small, onyx knife by the grave and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Death-sensei, but I have to break the rules this time,” she turned around. “No one fucks with my lover and lives to tell the tale.”

* * *

“Sabrina,” YAGOO said over the phone. Sabrina was sitting on the bed in her hotel when YAGOO called. “One of our units has been captured. Mori and I are preparing a rescue operation. We need more heavy hitters on our side.”

“I guess I owe it to Ryan to save his boss’s ass,” she sighed. “I’ll be there in five.”

* * *

“Yo, did you hear about Jerry?” Ronald, a MILF soldier asked his pal Jimmy.

“Yeah, some psycho took his pistol and killed him, apparently,” Jimmy replied. “They didn’t even leave a body.”

“Yeah, we’ll get that psycho one day,” Ronald said, looking at his fancy new gun. “Especially with these new-fangled laser guns. That dude won’t stand a-,”

He was cut off when a bullet pierced his skull. Jimmy turned around just in time for a bullet to hit his left eye.

“Dibs,” Ryan grabbed one of the laser rifles off the corpses.

“So, you’re already over this killing thing?” Amelia asked, examining the other rifle with a magnifying glass before summoning her own laser rifle.

“Well, they kidnapped my boss,” Ryan replied. “Plus, they forfeit their lives when they took death’s girlfriend hostage. I’m doing them a mercy at this point.”

“Fair enough,” Amelia sighed as she looked around, pointing at a door. “Kiara’s magical signature is coming from that direction.”

“Alright,” Ryan said, watching the laser rifle power up. “Let’s do this.”

* * *

“Hey, little girl,” Jeff walked up to the high schooler who was staring at the military base. “This is a top-secret military base. If you keep staring, I’ll have to shoot you.”

“I know,” The girl replied with a smile. Jeff was a little unnerved by her response. When he says that, most people would turn away and this girl was the first person not to. When she moved a mask to her face, he saw the giant four and his expression immediately blanched. “Oh fu-,”

He was cut off when the girl finished putting on the mask, and a gigantic fire bird erupted from behind her, screeching at Jeff before diving at him, consuming him in flames.

“Sorry, it’s nothing personal,” Sabrina said. “Just kidding. No one threatens Edhas’s friends and lives. Let’s do this.”

Two cloaked figures appeared behind her. Calli twirled her scythe, a dark aura emanating around her while YAGOO wore a brown cloak, holding a wooden staff, a silver orb floating above the top.

* * *

“These laser weapons are really cool,” Ryan said, looking at a dead soldier with a giant molten hole in his head.

“Hey, Ryan,” Amelia twirled a pistol. “I managed to make a laser pistol. Want one?”

“I’ll take two,” Ryan said before catching the two laser pistols Amelia threw him. When he caught them, the earth shook. “What the hell was that?”

“Calli and YAGOO probably made their move already,” Amelia replied. “That’s good. Most soldiers will now be focused on the frontal assault. Let’s go. We don’t want to waste this opportunity.”

Ryan nodded and they snuck off.

* * *

“We need backup!” A MILF soldier was head shouting into a recorder. Unfortunately, he never got to finish his statement when he was beheaded by a giant scythe. “Fuck your friend!” Calli pulled out a recorder and blew into it, causing the spirit of the fallen soldier to rise out of his body and tear through his comrades.

As YAGOO was surrounded, he merely stamped his staff on the floor when three stone golems four times his size rose from the earth. “Do to them that they have done to my dreams,” YAGOO commanded (AN: Yeah, blame the MILFs for your crushed dreams. On another note, HoloMILF gen 1 debut when?). The golems charged, crushing soldiers with their feet as one grabbed onto the cannon of a tank and lifted it, throwing it at the building.

With a flick of Sabrina’s wand, lightning struck a mortar. As she waved her wand again, the electricity generated from the lightning jumped from soldier to soldier before latching itself onto the tank being launched to the building, causing it to explode, making a hole into the building. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Ryan’s rage boiled when he heard his boss scream. “So, you heal, eh?” he heard a gruff man say. He then heard a gunshot and another scream.

“Fuck this,” Ryan said.

“Ryan, wait!” Amelia whispered to him, but he wasn’t listening. He grabbed a laser pistol and ran out, identifying the one with his gun pointed at Kiara and shot him in the temple.

“If you want my boss, then you have to go through me first,” Ryan tossed the laser pistol behind him and took out the pistols that Amelia got him, unscrewing the silencers.

“Ryan! What the hell are you doing here?!” Kiara asked, the hole in her shoulder healing as flames danced around the wound.

“Oh, I’m just playing Call of Duty with Ame,” Ryan shrugged. As if on cue, Amelia ran up and jumped, doing a flip before slamming the ground between, Kiara and the soldiers, creating a shockwave. As the soldiers fell over, Ryan jumped down, shooting each of them in the head.

“Consider the pound grounded,” Amelia smirked as Ryan walked up to her. “Heads up, kid. There’s more coming.”

Ryan turned just in time to be shot through the shoulder. In any other sense, he would have screamed in pain, but the sheer adrenaline and rage kept him going. He screamed in rage and pain, tackling the soldier who shot him, struggling a bit before shooting him in the head. He stood up, his eyes burning as he dived to the side, dodging a hail of gunfire. The soldiers pointed their guns at him only to be shot down by a bunch of lasers. Ryan turned his head to see Amelia smirking back at him. At that time, the walls crashed down.

“Don’t you _dare_ hurt my wi-,” Calli jumped though the hole in the wall, scythe at the ready. She stopped when she saw the scene in front of her.

“When’s the wedding..?” Ryan coughed as the pain finally started to set in.

“What happen-, holy shit!” Yo-chan threw off her mask and ran towards Ryan. “What the fuck did you do, Ryan?!”

“Sabrina..?” Ryan looked at her as Sabrina started to heal his wounds. “I didn’t know you were Yo-chan…”

“Shut up and let me focus,” Sabrina glared at Ryan. “Why the hell did you come here anyways?”

“Hey, they kidnapped my boss,” Ryan chuckled weakly. “Didn’t you just tell me to shut up?”

“Yes, so shut up,” Sabrina completely ignored Ryan’s answer as the wounds started to close.

With no warning, everything went grey and froze. “It’s been awhile Ryan,” A hooded figure appeared before him. “Or should I call you Edhas?”

“I have no idea what the hell are you talking about?” Ryan asked. He wasn’t necessarily aggressive towards the figure, but he was wary. “Who are you anyways? What did you do?”

“They call me Zero,” the cloaked figure replied. “You can call me Storm. I simply froze time so I can offer you something.”

“Honestly, whatever the hell you can offer can wait till tomorrow,” Ryan said.

“Very well. I guess some things never change,” Storm sighed. As he vanished, color and motion returned to the world.

“What you did was completely badass,” Amelia told Ryan, walking over to him as his wounds finished healing. “You are totally going to be the best man at my wedding.”

“Cool, I guess,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head, still trying to process what just happened. “When is that?”

“Tomorrow,” Amelia deadpanned.

“Tomorrow?!” Ryan exclaimed before hacking up a coughing fit. “You need to give me a better warning in advance. I don’t even have a suit.”

“I can help with that,” Sabina giggled.

“Well, I’ll deal with it tomorrow,” Ryan sighed. “For now, I need a nap.”

* * *

“C’mon! We’re almost there!” The familiar voice urged the woman. She could tell that whoever was carrying her was severely wounded.

“Who…” The woman asked.

“I’m a friend,” The woman didn’t fail to detect the dismay in the voice. For some reason, she couldn’t detect who this person was, but then again, she couldn’t even take in her surroundings. She was sure that when she recovered, she would know who was helping her.

“They’re over there!” The woman heard a man shout. She heard the sound of a laser being fired followed by the screaming of the voice.

“I… can do this…” The voice said to herself. She heard a door click before swinging open. She stumbled inside whatever room the door led to before fading into unconsciousness.

* * *

“Ah, it’s always hectic when Fubuki shows up,” Roberu was cleaning the dishes after an eventful day at his bar. He sighed wistfully, looking at the pile of shattered glass he swept up not too long ago. “I miss the quieter days.”

As he talked to himself, the door slammed open. He turned. “Sorry, but we’re closed right now. How did you even activate-,” he was cut off when he saw two familiar figures stumble into the bar, both heavily wounded.

“Civia?! Yogiri?!” He threw the glass aside, not caring about how it shattered on the floor as he vaulted over the counter to aid his two friends.

“Please…” Yogiri clutched a hole in her shoulder as blood leaked out of the gaping wound. “Help…”

Roberu caught the woman as she fell unconscious. He assessed the damage. Both girls were in critical condition. “This isn’t good,” he muttered to himself as he started to heal their wounds. “What kind of mess have you two gotten yourself into now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wedding chapter coming soon! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	21. Unity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember that the Q&A is still open. Feel free to leave any questions as the characters will be answering the questions.

Day 21: Unity

“You sure you want to do this now?” Gura put a hand on Amelia’s giving her a patient smile. Even though Amelia doesn’t really voice it, Gura knew that she was still going through a lot of stuff ever since she went back in time.

“Yeah,” Amelia smiled and gave the little shark a peck on the forehead. “I want to live through these happy times before something else happens.”

“Nothing will happen,” Gura looked at her trident that was across the room. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“I’m sure you will, my little cup of tea,” Amelia looking lovingly into Gura’s eyes. “I need to go get dressed. I want to keep my outfit a surprise.”

“I’m not little! I’m an Apex Predator,” Gura pouted. “But I’ll let you call me little. Just this once.”

Amelia chuckled as she went for the door. “Whatever you say.”

* * *

“RYAN!” Ryan jumped awake as soon as Amelia shouted his name.

“How the hell did you get in here?” Ryan sat up only to be met with Amelia throwing a suit at him, the suit landing gently on his face.

“Don’t ask, just get dressed,” Amelia said as Ryan pulled the suit off his face to see Amelia wearing her own suit, topped off with a black beret.

“Huh, I didn’t think you’d be the one wearing a suit,” Ryan cracked his neck and got out of bed.

“I tried looking at wedding gowns, but it’s just not my style,” Amelia replied, turning for the door. “I sent you the address already. Don’t be late.”

“Wait-,” Ryan was going to ask her when it started, but Amelia was gone by the time he opened his mouth. “I guess that’s just how things are.”

* * *

Ryan fixed his tie as he looked at the building. It wasn’t a church at all. Instead, it was a building that had the world “HoloHQ” Plastered above the entrance in large, cyan letters. He looked down at his suit. “How the hell did she even get my measurements?” As soon as he said that an image of Suisei measuring him with a ruler while he slept flashed through is mind. “On second thought, I don’t want to know.”

“I’m surprised I made it here on time,” Ryan turned as he heard the sound of a man behind him. The man behind him had dirty, white hair that was combed back. He wore a black dress shirt and a white tie which was covered by a dirty green trench coat. He sighed, taking a pair of glasses out of his pocket. When he put them on, his eyes instantly fixated towards Ryan. “Ah, so _you’re_ the Ryan I’ve heard so much about. Watson told me you were going to be the best man.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been to a wedding, though so I have no idea what I’m doing,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “It seems I’m at a disadvantage. You seem to know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“People call me Arurandeisu,” the man replied, fixing his tie. “If it’s too long, you can call me Aruran or Aru-san.”

“Nice to meet you, Aru-san,” Ryan walked over and extended his hand. Aruran firmly grasped and shook his hand.

“Now, let’s get going before Watson gets mad at us,” Aruran smiled. Ryan took out his phone and looked at the time.

“I still have no idea when it starts,” Ryan sighed.

“Ah, it starts in ten minutes,” Aruran said.

“Ten minutes?!” Ryan exclaimed. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

* * *

“Hello! Would you like doughnut to celebrate Devour Doughnut December?” As soon as Ryan and Aruran entered the building, they were greeted by a squirrel girl holding several boxes of doughnuts.

“Sure, I actually didn’t eat yet,” Ryan offered the girl a kind before taking a doughnut. “My name is Ryan Shade. It’s nice to meet you.”

“My name is Ayunda Risu,” The squirrel girl bowed her head slightly, as not to aggravate the sacred doughnuts. “You may call me Risu.”

“No cap?” Aruran asked, which Risu replied with a quick shake of her head. Aruran then took a doughnut, taking a large bite. “Thanks, Risu-chan.”

“It is my pleasure, Aru-papa,” Risu smiled brightly as the two men walked off.

* * *

“So, you’re the best man, huh?” Ina walked up to Ryan. “I guess we’ll be walking down the aisle together.”

“Guess so, miss maid of honor,” Ryan said. “It’s weird that I haven’t met any of either of their families yet.”

“Neither of them came,” Ina replied. “Gura’s parents were hunted by the German Army during WWII and Ame’s parents disowned her when she came out.”

“That’s…” Ryan shuffled uncomfortably, looking for the right words. “Kind of fucked up.”

“Well, Ame decided to invite her step-sister,” Ina said. “Apparently she’s an angel or something. I wonder if Kanata-senpai knows her.”

At the mention of Amelia’s sister, a girl with long, white hair and small angel wings walked over. “Did you mention me?”

“Ah, we were just talking about the brides’ families and why they weren’t here,” Ina said. “My name is Ninomae Ina’nis.”

“Amatsuka Uto,” The girl introduced herself, giving the two a heartwarming smile. “It’s a shame that Ame-tan’s parents were so cruel.”

“Yeah, I don’t know too much about them, but bigots are too common in this world,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “My name is Ryan Shade. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amatsuka-san.”

“Please, just called me Uto,” Uto directed her smiled towards Ryan. “Ame-tan has told me a lot about you. I have to thank you for taking care of her this past week.”

“I didn’t do much, honestly,” Ryan said. “She’s a good friend.”

“I’ve heard,” Uto said thoughtfully. “Well, the ceremony is going to start soon. I guess I’ll talk to you after the wedding.”

“Sure,” Ryan said, in a slight daze as she walked away. He then looked at Ina. “She’s…”

“Pure? Nice? Clean?”

“Not what I was going to say, but let’s go with that,” Ryan sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

* * *

Instead of hiring an orchestra, apparently Amelia and Gura got famous idols Tokino Sora and AZKi to sing at their wedding. _Why_ they decided to do that was beyond him, but it wasn’t Ryan’s wedding (AN: Like he’s ever going to get one). As Ryan walked down the aisle, he noticed that all the bridesmaids and “groomsmen” were familiar. Korone and Okayu, Coco and Kanata, Kiara and Calli, and Noel and Flare. Ryan and Ina parted. Ryan joined Okayu, Coco, Flare, and Calli while Ina joined Korone, Kanata, Kiara, and Noel.

 _I feel out of place,_ Ryan sighed to himself as Fubuki put the rings on the altar before Uto added the flowers. Amelia was patiently waiting for Gura to show up. After a few seconds, time seemed to slow. Gura walked down the aisle in a wedding gown tinted bright blue next to YAGOO in a three-piece-suit. Ryan could physically see Amelia’s eyes light up. After the two famous idols finished their songs and Amelia and Gura stood next to each other, Enma walked up, still in her casual dress shirt, hoodie tied to her waist, and katana. She took out a piece of paper.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today… fuck this,” Enma gave a frustrated sigh before tossing the paper in the air and unsheathing her sword. Barely a second passed before she sheathed her sword again, the paper sliced to literal confetti. “Look, we all know why we’re here today. Let’s not waste time here and get on with it.”

 _I’m so glad I decided_ not _to fight her,_ Ryan thought to himself. Amelia smirked while Gura tried to suppress her laughter as he saw many nods of approval.

“Now let me invite our CEO and living joke YAGOO to the stage,” Enma bowed, gesturing to YAGOO, who stepped up to the altar to speak.

“I wanted to make a group like AKB48. I know that people make fun of my prior dreams,” YAGOO started. “But I feel like I ended up with something far better than what I hoped for. Thank you all for coming to this union of these two.”

Ryan clapped with everyone else, not getting why Kiara was almost keeling over laughing. He mostly zoned out for the rest of the readings. Especially when he saw a familiar hooded figure facing him from the back of the room. Ryan and Storm spent a great deal of time staring each other down. Ryan only looked up when Enma started to address the couple.

“Alright, you know how serious this is right?” Enma asked. “I mean, you already do, but the paper told me I have to ask you this.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t ground pound Pekora’s mom anymore,” Amelia chuckled.

“WHAT WAS THAT-PEKO?!” Ryan faintly heard Pekora’s voice from the back of the room and forced down a laugh.

“Yeah, I understand,” Gura shot Amelia a glare.

“This is the time of the ceremony when you two will exchange the vows,” Enma said. “Which one of you would like to go first?”

“Ah, I would!” Gura raised her hand before turning to Amelia. “I first met you when you appeared in the middle of nowhere five thousand years ago. Those two years were the best years of my life. As long as I lived, out of all the people I’ve met, I never met someone quite like you. When YAGOO hired me and put me in a team, I didn’t know what I was expecting, but then I saw you. At that time, I was the happiest shark (read: little shark) in the world. To be honest, I was a little scared when we got together. I thought to myself ‘what if she’s not the one?’ But if you weren’t the one, Ame, then who was? I never thought I would go through a human marriage, but by whatever gods may be out there, I don’t regret doing it.”

Ryan smiled as he noticed Amelia wipe a tear. He then turned back to Storm at the back of the room to see Reporter standing next to him. As per usual, Ryan couldn’t see Reporter’s face over his mask, but he could _feel_ the smirk behind it.

“When I first laid eyes on you,” Amelia’s words startled his focus back to the couple. “I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. At the time, I was studying under a certain deity. As much as I know he hates calling himself that, that’s what he was,” Ryan could feel the aura tense a little bit and looked over to see a man with messy hair and an eyepatch. He recognized from the trench coat that the man he was focusing on was Jack. “At first, I dreaded this little trip through time. I thought ‘why do I have to go through the prehistoric ages?’ Then I met you. At that time, I was still recovering after a particularly bad meeting with Merlin, bless his soul (AN: Imagine Ame shooting an old ass Merlin with a rocket launcher). When I opened my eyes, I saw your face. I still remember it like it was yesterday. After a few days with you, I never wanted to leave. When I had to go, I’d never thought I’d see you again. When we met each other again, I saw myself here on this altar, saying these exact words. As soon as I saw you again, I knew what I had to do. No, what I _wanted_ to do, and here we are. I’m about to make the most important decision of my life, and I like to think I made the right one.”

With a gesture of her hand, Enma prompted Fubuki to bring the two rings. After a short talk with Ryan, Amelia decided that she would rather have rings than wedding bands. “With these rings, I wed my two best friends,” Fubuki gently slipped a ring on each of their left ring fingers.

“I now officially pronounce you two wife and wife,” Enma shot Fubuki a glare, causing the couple to chuckle slightly. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Ryan noticed the small jets of water spout from the bottom of Gura’s feet as she leaped into Amelia’s arms, uniting their lips. The thirteen-year-old in Ryan’s brain wanted to look away, but he didn’t out of respect. He’s watched enough anime to stomach this. A soft smile formed on Ryan’s face. At least someone got their happy ending.

* * *

“You know,” Ina walked up to Ryan, tako shaped tacos on her plate. “Since Ame and Gura are married now and Calli’s _definitely_ hiding a ring somewhere, maybe we should get together.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Ryan stared off at the crowd mingling amongst each other before putting a finger to his temple. “Nothing against you, but I have too much going on here to go through with a marriage.”

“Hey Ina-chan!” A man with dark blue hair with yellow streaks walked up to the two. “Have you seen Roberu anywhere?”

“I haven’t, actually. That’s weird,” Ina put a finger to her chin, her flaps wiggling as she thought. After a couple seconds of her flaps going back and forth, she shook her head, turning towards Ryan. “By the way, Leda-kun. This is Ryan Shade. He’s been working at Kiara’s joint recently.”

“Ah, so you’re the famous best man,” The man gave Ryan a polite smile. “I’ve heard your gunplay gives Ame-chan a run for her money. I’m Astel Leda. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m new to this whole weapons thing, but I try my best,” Ryan returned the polite smile as he shook his hand, trying his best to be modest. As the two detached hands, time froze, the scenery going gray.

“You know, I’m in the middle of something,” Ryan turned to meet Storm. “I don’t need your monotone vibes killing this wedding.”

“Come outside,” Storm turned for the exit. “This is of upmost importance.”

“Whatever you say,” Ryan grumbled, following the cloaked man out.

* * *

As the two men finished introducing each other, Ryan suddenly vanished into thin air. “I thought he was human,” Ina said as she looked around.

“You mean Ame-chan’s best man doesn’t even have magic?” Leda asked. Though a lot of the Hololive and Holostars talents were born humans, they were mostly referred to as mages.

“He’s a special one,” Ina smiled to him. “Now, let’s tako bout something else. I was hoping to see Nene-chan somewhere.”

* * *

“Now, what the hell do you want?” Ryan shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. He knew he shouldn’t be hostile, but this Storm guy was popping up in the most inconvenient of times.

“It’s time,” Storm turned to him, pausing for what Ryan assumed was dramatic effect. “The time has come for you to receive your memories.”

“So, someone _was_ hiding my memories from me,” Ryan sighed. He thought back on the past year. Sure, it was bad, but did he _want_ his memories back? What would happen? What would he gain? What would he lose? There was a very real chance that if he received his memories, then working at KFP would get significantly harder, if not impossible. He sighed.

_Screw it._

“You know what? Fuck it,” Ryan’s gaze hardened. “I don’t want those memories. People have been intentionally hiding my memories for a reason, and honestly, I would rather just live in ignorance. I’m happy with the life I got. I don’t need no damn memories.”

“You’ve matured,” Storm said. For some reason, Ryan felt Storm smile, much like he did with Reporter. “If you don’t your memories, that’s fine, but I must return your magic.”

“My magic?” Ryan asked. He had magic?! Now that was a surprise.

“Yes, you will need it in the near future,” Storm replied.

“Well, let’s get on with this,” Ryan said. “If I can use it to protect my friends, then I’ll take anything I need. Plus, it’ll be fun to learn some new tricks. I can’t have guns on me all the time.”

“Alright, I’ll implant some basic memories along with your abilities,” Storm said. “All I need to do is void the barriers that are in your system.”

 _Void? Barrier?_ Something clicked in Ryan’s head, creating the most farfetched conspiracy theory in his head.

“You were the one who destroyed YAGOO’s barrier, weren’t you?” Ryan asked. He honestly didn’t expect the things coming out of his mouth to say, but it was worth a shot.

“If I didn’t, many more would have died,” Storm replied, shocking Ryan to the core. “It was the will of the void, and its will is my command.”

“Well fuck you too then,” Ryan sneered. He didn’t care about some stupid void. This man killed his friends. “Get me out of here. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

“I understand how you feel,” Storm held out his hand, a glowing ball forming above his palm. “However, I have one last gift for you.”

The ball suddenly shot itself into Ryan’s chest, creating an unbearable pain as it fused with his very being. Ryan screamed as his vision filled with a bright flash. And then, nothing.

* * *

“That was fun,” Botan sighed as she unlocked the door to her apartment, taking off her Adidas jacket. She then threw it with a soft “poi”, the jacket landing neatly on a coat hanger.

As she walked into a kitchen, she jumped when she saw a gray bento box with white flowers etched onto the top of the box. She opened it curiously and smiled. This was Aloe’s cooking. No doubt about it. “It’s good to see you’re around, old friend.”

**-Time Travel Arc End-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the wedding chapter! I'm not too well versed in these things, so I apologize if things weren't as you expected, but I feel like I did a good job. Anyways, thus ends the end of another big arc! What do you all think the next arc is going to be? Leave your thoughts in the comments, along with any questions you have for any of the characters, as I still need to do that Q&A chapter. Thank you for reading.  
> Side Note: Yes, Uto-tenshi is the first independent VTuber to make an appearance. I thought it was fitting, being Ame's sister.


	22. Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the Q&A going on! I want to dedicate an entire chapter to it, so feel free to ask your questions!

Day 22: Magic

_“Sensei!” Calli screamed as she watched a man jump in between her and a shining lance. As the lance impaled the man, he reached out and grabbed his attacker’s face, which erupted into black flames. The man then turned to Calli, blood dripping down the corner of his mouth._

_“Live, my pupil… succeed me well…”_

Calli woke with a start. She wiped her cheek before examining her finger, which a tear lay stationary. “A dream..?” She asked herself before sighing. “Fuck.”

* * *

Ryan shot up when the familiar ring of his phone awoke him. “What the hell happened?” He asked himself as he looked around. Last thing he remembered, he was with that bastard Storm and…

 _No wait,_ Ryan sifted though with memories. What he found was something like a how-to article on how to use magic, as if it had been ingrained into his memory. The amount of information was astounding.

 _I’m capable of all this?_ Ryan thought to himself as he sifted through his memories. The phone’s continued ringing snapped Ryan from his stupor. He grabbed the phone, answering it.

“Morn-,”

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara’s voice cut him off almost instantly. “I didn’t see you at the recession. Where did you go?”

“I… don’t know,” Ryan sighed. He held out his free hand, palm up. A small flame flickered on top of it, dancing around his palm.

 _So cool,_ Ryan stared at the flame, completely mesmerized.

“Are you listening to me?” Kiara asked through the phone, causing Ryan to jump. The flame suddenly jutted off his palm towards his phone, causing it to explode.

“HOLY SHIT!” Ryan dropped the phone, his hands flying upwards. As he did, water flew out of his palms, causing the water to rain down all over his room, extinguishing the fire. He looked at the burnt heap of metal that was once his phone. “Well, this is going to take some getting used to.”

* * *

As soon as Ryan walked through the magical barrier, his instincts screamed for him to move. He dived just in time to miss a blade of fire that was aimed for his neck. As he stood up, he saw Kiara dashing towards him with her sword in hand, wings of fire jutting from her back. Ryan instinctively held his hands out, closing his eyes in a feeble attempt to block, but with a soft glow, something formed within his grasp. His eyes shot open as he heard the clanging of metal to see that he was holding a jet black sword, vines of ruby etched into the blade and the guard sprouting from a red gem at the bottom of the hilt.

 _Huh, I thought Tenchou’s sword was plasma,_ Despite the situation, what intrigued Ryan was the blade of his attacker. _Why was the sound of clashing metal?_

“Who the hell are you and what did you do with my employee?!” Kiara spat, adding more force into her blade as sparks flew from where the two weapons clashed.

“Woah, Tenchou,” Ryan jumped back as he felt himself losing the struggle. He dropped the sword, holding his hands up in surrender. He felt some sort of aura from the sword which Ryan somehow knew was malicious but ignored it for the time being. There were more pressing matters in the moment. “It’s me.”

“Ryan doesn’t have magic and your presence was enough to put strain on this barrier,” Kiara didn’t attack, but Ryan knew she would at a moment’s notice. “I didn’t even know that was possible.”

Ryan scratched the back of his head, sifting through his memories. Sure enough, there was a section dedicated to concealing his presence and not letting all of his magic leak from his body. “My bad,” Ryan sighed as he focused on the memory, following the instructions listed. “I’m still getting the hang of this magic thing, but I assure you, I am still me.”

“Prove it,” Kiara narrowed her eyes, obviously still not trusting Ryan. Ryan didn’t account for this, but he knew what to do. He grabbed the collar of his hoodie and pulled it down to the direction of his right shoulder. What was revealed was a scar in the shape of the laser that pierced him only a couple days prior. Of course, it was completely healed, but it still did leave a scar. Ryan didn’t mind this, of course. He thought it looked badass.

“Well, I got this when I saved your ass a couple days ago, so there’s that,” Ryan sighed. “Man, I didn’t even ask for this shit. First thing I do with it is blow up my phone.”

“Ryan?” Kiara did an instant 180, tackling Ryan into a hug. “I was so worried! When I heard the explosion, I thought someone went to assassinate you!”

“Why would someone assassinate me?” The more people that gave Ryan hugs, the more he started to appreciate them. Maybe hugs were a good thing after all.

“Nevermind that,” Kiara pulled away from Ryan. “Where did you get all that magic power?”

“Dunno,” Ryan replied, cracking his back. “Some weird dude gave me a ball of light and suddenly I have magic.”

 _Fuck this,_ Ryan heard an androgynous voice in his head. When he looked around, he noticed that the sword was gone.

 _What the hell?_ Ryan asked himself but didn’t really care at this point.

“How about we get to work” Ryan asked. Kiara smiled.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

* * *

Ryan almost forgot what day it was. “Crap! I forgot to get the sake!”

“You’re right!” Kiara said. “Wait, how did you know we needed sake?”

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Ryan said. “Give me a second.”

He sifted through his memories to see if there was a way he could get sake. “Perfect! Portals!” He concentrated as he held his hand out, a portal appearing before him. He stuck his hand in and pulled out a bottle of sake.

* * *

Marine was looking for her next victim to get a drink off of. Since she was (forever) seventeen, she technically couldn’t buy alcohol. She made a turn to see if anyone was at the sake isle to see a hand grabbing a bottle of sake before disappearing through a portal. “What the fuck?” What she saw was enough for her to break character. “What the hell just happened?”

* * *

“Isn’t that stealing?” Kiara asked as Ryan gave her the bottle of sake he “acquired” through his newfound magic.

“Well, they assassinated me, so I’ll call it even,” Ryan still wasn’t over his brief stint with death, especially now that he knew who destroyed the barrier.

“But you just asked…” Kiara sighed, shaking her head. There was a lot about Ryan that didn’t make sense.

“Poi!” Botan hopped through the door. “Oh, it’s the best man! I didn’t see you at the recession. I really wanted to meet the person who gained Watson’s respect so quickly.”

“Morning, Shishiro-san,” Ryan said, placing four sake cups on the table before showing her the bottle of sake. “Did I get the right one?”

“Yes…” Botan narrowed her eyes. “It seems I’m at a disadvantage…”

“Huh, so that’s what it feels to be on the other side of that,” Ryan silently cursed himself for letting the fact that he knew their names slip again. It was a force of habit, and by golly was it a bad one. He then remembered that Botan was a pro gamer. “Name’s Ryan Shade.”

“Nice to meet you, Ryan,” Botan offered him a smile. Kiara probably briefed him on what was going on. It was either that or he was a fan. Low chance, though because Ryan didn’t bring up her career. She sat down at one of the seats as Ryan poured her a cup of sake. “I assume you know what’s going on, yes?”

“A fair idea, though I don’t think it’s my place to say,” Ryan replied. Kiara gave him a confused look, but now wasn’t the time to interrogate him.

“Botan-chan!” Lamy burst through the doors, a light blue bento box in hand. “Did you also get one of these?”

“Yes,” Botan shoved her hand in her Adidas jacket and pulled out a gray bento box, each box having a matching set of white flowers designed on the box. “It seems that someone paid us a visit.”

“POL!” Polka dived through the doors, somehow flying across the room, tackling both Botan and Lamy at the same time.

“Omaru-san,” Ryan smiled, pouring her a cup of sake. “Before I give you this cup, please promise not to drink too much.”

“Who do you take me for?!” Polka grabbed the cup, downing it in one go. “There’s no such thing as too much.”

Ryan sighed as Polka shoved the cup in his face. Seeing no other option, he poured her another cup.

“SUPERNENECHI HAS ARRIVED!” Nene barreled through the doors, talking a spot next to Polka. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yes, Momosuzu-san, it’s me,” Ryan said, unamused.

“Did you two also get bento boxes?” Lamy asked.

“Yep!” Polka chirped, talking off her hat, pulling the brown box out of her hat, which Ryan noted was smaller than the box. Probably some circus magic. Nene waved her hand and a yellow bento box appeared on the table. “It tasted just like Aloe-chan’s cooking too!”

“It did,” Botan nodded, a nostalgic smile on her face. Ryan smiled at the four and looked up to see a familiar figure.

“Give me a second,” Ryan said, stepping outside. Instincts taking over, he held out his hand, a black fire took form, extending until a double-bladed scythe found itself firmly locked in Ryan’s right hand, eyes burning with rage as he confronted Storm.

“Doesn’t that scythe look a lot like Calliope-chan’s?” Lamy looked at Kiara.

“Yeah,” Kiara said, equally stunned and curious. “It does.

* * *

Calli looked down at a certain grave, an onyx blade at the foot of the grave. Calli felt a tingling in her spine, causing her to look up. “Sensei..?”

* * *

“I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again,” Ryan spat. He really didn’t know how to use the scythe that magically found itself in his hands, but damn did it look intimidation.

“I understand how you feel,” Storm took a notebook out of his cloak and handed it to Ryan. “However, I am not here on official business. A… friend asked me for a favor.”

“What’s this?” Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes at Storm.

“A gift from Aloe,” Storm replied. “She wanted to give this to her sisters.”

“Sisters?” Ryan asked.

“Look behind you,” Storm said. Ryan turned to see Lamy, Botan, Polka, and Nene chatting and drinking. Ryan turned around, opening his mouth, but Storm was gone. He sighed, relaxing his hand. When he loosened his grip, the scythe vanished in another torrent of black flames. Ryan didn’t really want to ask, but the scythe intrigued him. Something felt… off about the scythe, but it also felt familiar in his grasp. Maybe it had something to do with his past. He shrugged, walking into the restaurant. He willingly gave up his memories, so he shouldn’t have the right to ask.

“What did he want?” Kiara asked. “Also, why were you so hostile with him?”

“He killed all my friends,” Ryan said. He wasn’t _lying_ per say, so he decided that that was an apt answer. He put the notebook on the counter. “But he wanted you guys to have this.”

“Wow, your life sounds like some edgy teen is trying to make it as edgy as possible,” Kiara deadpanned.

“I know, right?” Ryan chuckled. “I’m going to clock out early. I need answers.”

* * *

As Ryan left, the remaining members of Holofive looked through the notebook. “These…” Botan traced her finger on a line of writing. “These are Aloe’s bento recipes.”

“It seems so,” Lamy said, reading through another page. “I wonder how he got these.”

* * *

As Ryan walked down the alley, he felt a presence behind him. He turned his head slightly to see Calli staring at him. “Yes?” He didn’t mean to come off as aggressively as he did, but he was already in a bad mood.

“I’m sorry,” Calli closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I seem to have the wrong person.”

As she disappeared in a gust of black mist. Ryan scratched the back of his head, sighing. “What the hell?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Ryan has magic now, huh? How will this affect the story? I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	23. Idols

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not an angel!

Day 23: Idols

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan grumbled. His room was in absolute shambles and he was bone tired after countless hours of experimenting with his magic. The only thing he succeeded in doing was finding out what kind of spells did what, other than absolutely trashing his room.

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara exclaimed. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “This magic thing is kind of rough.”

“I understand how it is,” Kiara said. “Do you want the day off?”

“It’s okay,” Ryan smiled. “It means a lot that you care for my well-being, but I shouldn’t take advantage of that.”

“You su-,” Kiara cut herself off. “What did you say?! Next time you assume that I care about you, we’ll be spending the day in the _usual room_!”

“Uhh…” Ryan didn’t know what the “usual room” was, but something told him he didn’t want to know. “Whatever you say, Tenchou.”

“Thought so!” Kiara gave a smug scoff before hanging up the phone.

* * *

“Morning,” Ryan opened the doors and walked into the restaurant.

“You’ve gotten a lot better in controlling your magic,” Kiara noted, munching on a chicken leg.

“Well, the last thing I need is Calli of all people freaking out,” Ryan said.

“Fair enough,” Kiara smiled.

“Hey, check this out,” Ryan closed his eyes and focused his magical energy around his body. When he opened his eyes, he was in his KFP uniform. “Pretty neat, huh?”

“Great job!” Kiara clapped. Ryan could tell she wasn’t all too impressed, but he appreciated the effort, nonetheless.

“Are we safe?!” Ryan turned around to see two familiar figures barrel through the door. He stepped aside just in time for famous idols Tokino Sora and AZKi to pass by him.

“Ah! Sora-senpai! AZKi-senpai!” Kiara chirped. Her eyes shone with admiration, but Ryan could tell Kiara was trying to keep her cool.

“Ah, you were the ones who sang at Ame and Gura-san’s wedding,” Ryan walked behind the counter, offering a polite smile. One thing he learned from Amelia was that famous people could just be normal. He knew he wouldn’t like to be treated like a god amongst men. “You did very well.”

“Thank you,” Sora offered Ryan a kind smile as she sat down, panting.

“What happened?” Kiara asked, offering the two exhausted idols a glass of water.

“We’ve had a paparazzi on our tails all day,” AZKi replied.

“We just wanted a day off and relax, but I felt their presence as soon as I left my house,” Sora added, taking a large gulp of the water. “Thank you for that, Kiara-chan.”

“That sounds rough,” Ryan said, offering an understanding smile, though he didn’t understand what that life was a single bit.

“Oh, I remember you!” AZKi said after giving Ryan a second look. “You were that one guy at Ame-chan and Same-chan’s wedding who was there for the ceremony and vanished afterwards.”

“Something came up,” Ryan grumbled, not too fond of the events that partook that day. Even though he got some really cool magic powers, finding the guy who basically killed all of his friends the first time around and not being able to do anything to him was very infuriating. “My name’s Ryan Shade. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Ah, you probably already know this, but my name is AZKi,” AZKi offered her hand, which Ryan shook.

“My name is Tokino Sora,” Sora smiled as she offered her hand for Ryan to shake as well.

“So, what would you like to order, AZKi-san, Tokino-san?” Ryan asked.

“I’ll just have an order of Fried Birb Wings,” Sora said.

“I’ll have some Phoenix Fire Chicken Legs,” AZKi replied.

“Coming right up,” Ryan smiled softly as he went to the back. First time around, Kiara forced him to _interact_ with people (AN: Yuck) and he wanted to make things a bit more equal this time around. Not that he was against making friends, but he didn’t feel like he was contributing enough to the restaurant. He didn’t want Kiara to pay him for tolerating her, even though that by itself is enough to warrant a six-figure salary.

“So, how have things been?” Ryan heard Kiara asked.

“It’s been alright,” Sora replied. “But ever since my recent boost in numbers, I’ve seemed to have attracted more of the… interesting type.”

“Ah, I see,” Kiara said. “If you need any help, feel free to ask.”

“As much as I want to blast them all away with magic, we all know that would turn out,” Sora groaned. Ryan opened the arid container that was known as the Phoenix Fire Hot Sauce. He resisted the urge to gag as he added a couple drops to the friend chicken. He then washed his hands with three extra pumps of soap to get the spice off his hands (AN: Remember to wash your hands, kids) before going to fry the wings.

“For some reason, my numbers shot up as well right after Sora-chan’s,” AZKi added. “I’ve been getting _way_ too many creepy messages on Tweeter since then.”

“That’s terrible,” Kiara said as Ryan came out of the back with two tubs of chicken in hand. “One order Phoenix Fire Chicken Legs for you, and one order of Fried Birb Wings for you,” Ryan said.

“Thank you, Ryan,” Sora offered him a smile Ryan smiled back as he moved so he sat next to Kiara.

“So, other than changing your clothes, what else can you do with your magic now?” Kiara asked.

“I can destroy my room, apparently,” Ryan said. “I still can’t control it that well.”

“You’re still getting the hang of your magic?” Sora asked. “Nothing against you, but most beings with magic have control over the fundamentals by the time they’re ten.”

“Well, I only unlocked my magic a couple days ago,” Ryan said.

“Really? I was told you raided a MILF stronghold with Amelia a while back,” Sora said. “Did you do that without magic?”

“Not my best moment,” Ryan said, rubbing his shoulder where his circular scar was. “But my boss was in trouble. What else was I supposed to do? Sleep it off?”

“That’s very respectable, especially for a human,” AZKi nodded with approval.

“I never really got to thank you for that,” Kiara moved to give Ryan a peck on the cheek, but Ryan dodged.

“Behind you, Tenchou,” Ryan said. Kiara turned around, her face paling as soon as she saw who was behind her.

“Kusotori…” Calli’s face boiled with rage.

“I can explain…” Kiara looked around. “After I go to the bathroom…”

Kiara instantly bolted. “Get back here, Kusotori!”

“Oh, you want to see me in the bathroom~?”

“S-shut up!” Ryan could hear the sound of things crashing down in the distance.

“Of course, I’m going to be the one to clean up this mess later,” Ryan grumbled to himself, causing Sora and AKZi to laugh. Yeah, this life wasn’t too bad.

* * *

“Do you know where Yogiri went?” Artia asked. Artia, Rosalyn, Spade Echo, and Doris were in a run-down basement in China. They were among some of the last, if not _the_ last magical beings in China, as MILF decided to completely genocide them all. They’ve been hiding out in this basement for about a month, having to constantly find hiding places for the past two years since the extermination order was carried out two years ago.

“She went out to save Civia, but I can’t track her anymore,” Rosalyn said, looking through a book that was glowing faintly. “She’s either dead or outside of the country.”

“Let’s pray that it is the latter,” Doris said. “What do we do now?”

“Echo, are you able to send out a beacon?” Artia asked.

“I am, but I’m not sure if anyone will be able to pick up on a magical beacon,” Spade Echo replied. “I can’t do any other type of beacon for… obvious reasons.”

“That’s fine,” Rosalyn closed her book. “We’re running out of options. Send the beacon.”

* * *

Shade walked through a heaping pile of ash that was once a MILF stronghold, not unlike the one Ryan raided a few days prior. He looked up into the sky. “They need help,” he said to himself. “Maybe it is finally time for us to mobilize.”

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want anyone to know?” Roberu asked.

“Yes,” Yogiri replied. “For all we know, the UN thinks we’re dead. The more people who think that the better.”

Suddenly, the door slammed open, causing Yogiri to gasp and activate an invisibility spell. “Don’t worry, Yogiri,” the figure who opened the door revealed himself to be YAGOO. “I received a magical beacon from Spade Echo. I’m afraid that we need to get all hands on deck.”

* * *

“It seems that they have finally called for help,” Storm looked off into the endless void.

“What do you think will happen?” Aloe asked, watching one of Botan’s livestreams through a TV.

“Sup, old man,” Reporter appeared into the void. “It looks like shit’s hitting the fan, huh?”

“Yes,” Storm turned to Reporter and Aloe. “The final battle approaches. We very well have to take action. Prepare yourselves.”

* * *

Ryan sighed as he concentrated his magic, changing his clothes back to his standard hoodie and sweats. As he walked down the alley, an invisible force hit the back of his head like a freight train. _Help. Help us. Please help. We need help. Please,_ Ryan fell to his knees, his mind being overwhelmed with pleas for help.

 _I can’t… pass out… not again…_ Ryan forced himself up as the pleas slowly started to subside. That was it. That was the final straw. He needed answers. What was that bombardment of cries for help? He wiped a tear from his eye. The tear was caused partially because of the pain, but another part was because he could _feel_ the desperation from the voices. He wanted to help, against his better judgement. He knew someone who most likely had the answer, but he didn’t like that person. No matter, he will show himself to Ryan eventually. For now, he needed to work on his magic. He had a bad feeling, and he could never be too prepared for whatever will happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got the whole HoloCN gang here! As you could probably guess, the next arc will revolve around them. I hope you all are excited! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	24. Rising Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover"
> 
> Hold my beer

Day 24: Rising Up

“Did you hear the news?” Kiara asked through the phone. When Kiara didn’t shout her catchphrase as soon as Ryan picked up the phone, he knew something was wrong.

“No, what’s up?” Ryan asked. He sat up on his mattress, as he destroyed his bed the previous night. He was grateful for how much Kiara was paying him, if not things would get rough for him financially.

“The idol group I’m a part of has a branch in China,” Kiara started. “I’m sure you’ve seen how bad things are in China from the news…”

“Although I don’t really believe you’re an idol, let’s say I believe you,” Ryan ignored the pout that Kiara made as he was talking. “Is there anything you want me to do?”

“I don’t know. I need to clear things with YAGOO before we can do anything,” Kiara said. “For now, just come to work like normal.”

“You know, I’m here if you need me,” Ryan offered. He may have only known Kiara for a few weeks, but he could tell when she’s distressed. Plus, what are friends for?

“Thanks, Ryan,” Kiara said softly. “I’ll consider it.”

* * *

“Yogiri-senpai!” Kiara dived over the counter, somehow flying over Ryan who was on the other side of the room. Ryan heard a soft “uff!” and turned around to see Kiara nuzzling a girl with red hair and white streaks. The clothing the girl gave off a delinquent vibe, but something told Ryan that this wasn’t really the case. “It’s been so long!”

“Kiara-chan!” The girl desperately tried to push her off, but Kiara was too strong. “Too… tight…”

“Ah!” Kiara speedily backed away, putting her hands in the air. “I’m sorry! How have you been?”

“I’ve been better,” Yogiri rubbed the back of her neck, revealing a familiar looking scar on the side of her neck.

“Ah, those laser guns can be a bitch, huh?” Ryan rubbed his shoulder. It was an odd thing to have common ground on, but It was something. “Name’s Ryan Shade. I’m Takanashi-san’s employee.”

“You can call me Kiara,” Kiara smiled at Ryan. “You saved my life after all.”

“I’m sure you could’ve handled it yourself,” Ryan said.

“YAGOO-san told me about you,” Yogiri offered Ryan a kind smile which completely juxtaposed her outfit and demeanor. “You’ve done a lot for us. I couldn’t thank you enough.”

“So, how’s the Big Boss doing?!” Kiara slapped Yogiri’s back playfully, but her wince didn’t escape Ryan.

“Not good,” Yogiri strained a smile. “Things have been getting dicey in China. If I didn’t find my way in Roberu-san’s bar, Civia and I wouldn’t have made it.”

“That’s terrible!” Kiara looked genuinely horrified. “Do you know where the others are?”

“They’re probably still in China,” Yogiri replied. “YAGOO-san said that Spade Echo sent out a beacon, but as far as I know, no one has received it other than him.”

Ryan thought about what happened yesterday. Those voices in his head and whatever beacon Yogiri was talking about probably had no correlation, but it never hurt to ask. “I’m not sure, but on my way home from work, I was bombarded with some kind of psychic message. Kind of like a bunch of pleas for help.”

“That very well might be the case,” Yogiri nodded, deep in thought. “Though to detect Spade Echo’s beacon from China means that you’re a very powerful sage or sensor. What are you doing working at a fast-food joint? You could be making millions as recon for several magical communities.”

“I just got my magic powers a few days ago,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t really know how it all works.”

“Sorry I’m late! YAGOO-san had to give me a health checkup!” A girl burst through the doors, obviously flustered. The thing that stood out to Ryan was the unicorn horn and the dress, which seemed out of place for a modern setting. “Kiara-chan! It’s been so long!”

“Civia-senpai!” Kiara tackled the unicorn into a hug, which Civia returned with matching enthusiasm. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Things have been better,” Civia pulled away from Kiara. “I’m really worried about everyone, but YAGOO-san said that we’re going to get them.”

“Really?” Kiara put a finger on her chin and tilted her head. “I wonder what he’s up to.”

* * *

“Mama! I’m home!” Rushia opened the door. “How was your day?”

“Rushia,” Rushimama was looking at a phone, a deathly expression on her face.

“Mama..?” Rushia’s mother was usually a very wholesome person, but when someone pissed her off, Matsuri have mercy.

“YAGOO called,” Rushimama turned to her daughter. Despite the smile she had, Rushia could see the rage in her eyes. “Apparently _someone_ decided to use one of your coworkers for their experiments. Pack your bags. We’re going on a trip.”

* * *

“Probably preaching his crushed dreams or something,” Yogiri said. “I wonder if _they_ are going to get involved.”

“Who are _they_?” Ryan asked, mimicking Yogiri’s emphasis.

“The masked mages,” Kiara replied, causing everyone’s attention to shift to the manager. “You’ve already met a few of them, Ryan. I think the surviving ones are all here in Japan as we speak.”

“Really?!” Yogiri’s eyes sparked. “If they joined, then we have a real chance!”

“Are these people really that strong?” An image of Sabrina blushing profusely and snapping at him like a tsundere flashed through his head. “They can’t be _that_ great.”

“Well…” Kiara put a finger on her chin before shuddering. “Let’s not talk about that.”

“I probably don’t want to know anyways,” Ryan sighed. “Now, what would you two like to eat?”

* * *

“Looks like you’re in a pickle,” Shade said, causing YAGOO to jump.

“I think if we play our cards right, taking out MILF in its entirety can be a possibility,” YAGOO turned to face storm. “I’m not sure if we have the firepower, though.”

“Don’t worry about firepower,” Shade said. “I have reason to believe that you will be fine, but you will need _everybody_.”

“I was planning on that,” YAGOO said. “I was able to convince Rushimama to come out of retirement.”

“I see,” Shade nodded. “Go do your thing. I’ll go do mine.”

“Understood,” YAGOO nodded as the two vanished from sight.

* * *

“So, we’re really getting involved, huh?” Reporter said, fastening some sort of gauntlets onto his hands.

“If the void wills it, it shall be done,” A knife of darkness formed in Storm’s hands.

“Do you think you will reunite with her once more?” Reporter asked.

“Whether Anya wants to become a weapon once more is up to her,” Storm examined the blade. “Regardless, I will still fight. I failed my brothers once before. I will not do it again.”

“Don’t count me out of this,” Aloe stood up. “I won’t let you fight alone. I think it’s high time for HoloFive to reunite.”

Reporter smirked underneath his mask. The pieces were falling into place.

* * *

“Oh, YAGOO!” Kiara chirped as the sage walked into the fast-food joint. “How are things going?”

“In a few days, we’re going to be calling all hands-on deck,” YAGOO replied. “We’re going to be raiding China.”

“Raiding China, huh?” Ryan came out of the back with two tubs of chicken. “Would you like to order something as well?”

“Actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to come with us,” YAGOO said. “I know you only recently gained your abilities back, but we need everyone we can get.”

“Are you going to go?” Ryan asked Kiara, who nodded. “Well, I guess I have nothing better to do.”

“Really?” Civia looked up at Ryan, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you!”

“Eh, I made a promise to Calliope-san that I would make sure ‘the bird’ won’t do anything stupid,” Ryan said with air quotes. “I’m just upholding that promise.”

“I don’t remember you making any promises like that,” Kiara said. Ryan sighed. Of course, that was the promise he made on his first day. “Plus, Calli is going to be there too.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I have anything better to do. If you’re going to go off to China for a few days, then I’ll be out of a job for those few days,” Ryan said. “Let’s just call it a business trip.”

“Are you sure?” Kiara asked. “It’s going to be dangerous.”

“And getting blasted through the shoulder wasn’t?” Ryan shot back.

“That’s fair,” Kiara sighed. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, Tenchou,” Ryan smiled reassuringly. “I appreciate the concern, but my good conscience can’t let you go off while I stay here.”

“Awhhh this is so cute!” Civia squealed.

“Does it look like it?” Ryan asked. “I sure hope it doesn’t. I don’t want to die.”

“Why would you die-,” Just as she asked, something clicked in Civia’s head. “I see. That makes sense, then.”

“How could you forget about Calliope-chan?” Yogiri facepalmed.

“Now, now,” YAGOO smiled, ever the peacemaker. “I have to go notify everyone else. We probably won’t attack for a couple days, but I’ll keep all of you updated.”

“Sounds good,” Ryan offered YAGOO a smile as he turned and left.

“We should probably go too,” Yogiri stood up. “Roberu will probably start to get worried after a while.”

“I’m sorry we don’t have any money!” Civia bowed to Ryan and Kiara.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not like people pay here anyways.”

“Really?” Civia asked. “That’s weird. Isn’t this a restaurant?”

“So, you picked up on that,” Kiara said. “It’s true. This is just a place to hang out and put our hair down. All the meals are subsidized by me.”

“Speaking of meals, can you put in an extra order of doughnuts for me?” Ryan asked, remembering the time Matsuri came in.

“Sure!” Kiara chirped. “Wait, how did you know about the doughnuts?”

“I know a lot of things,” Ryan winked. So, that’s how it felt to be on the other side of that.

* * *

Ryan sighed as he walked through the alley. What could he do? He wasn’t exactly ready to raid the MILF capital of the world (AN: That sounds pretty nice under different circumstances) with the level of magic that he got. He went through his options. When he settled on the best option, he scoffed. He really didn’t want to go to _him_ , but he had to do what needs to be done.

“I see you’ve come to your senses,” Ryan stopped when he heard a voice behind him.

“I will never bow to you,” Ryan turned to stare down Storm. “But your help will really be appreciated.”

“It may not look like it, but we’re on the same side,” Storm replied. “Come, we have much to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to thank @General_Urist for suggesting putting HoloCN into the story. I have to give credit where credit is due. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter


	25. Ripples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Day 25: Ripples

“Are you ready?” Rushimama and Rushia stood on opposite sides of a large and complex magical circle.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Rushia gave her mother a confident nod. She took a deep breath as black mist spread throughout the floor of the room.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” The black mist rose until Calli stepped out of the mist.

“Is there any reason we can’t?” Rushimama shot Calli an intimidating glare.

“Relax,” Calli held her hands up. Even though Calli was more powerful than Rushimama (AN: Sure. Keep telling yourself that) and was practically immortal, Rushimama still scared her to an extent. She’d never admit it, but Rushimama could be terrifying when she wanted to be. “I pulled some strings, but the magic it would take to revive _her_ would be immense.”

“Well, what are we going to do about that?” Rushimama asked, her glare not relaxing in the slightest.

“I have no choice, then,” Calli sighed. “I guess I owe Ryan one, anyways. I’m not doing this because I’m scared of you or anything.” (AN: Again, sure.)

“Thank you, Calliope-chan!” Rushimama clasped her hands together, giving Calli a warm smile. “Now, let’s get started.”

* * *

“Hey, this is Ryan Shade. Please leave a message or whatever,” Ryan’s voice came out through the phone. Kiara’s face scrunched up in worry. This was the first time Ryan has ever failed to pick up the phone. Even when she called in the middle of the night, he would pick up almost instantly, but this time he didn’t. Something was wrong.

“KIKKERIKIII~” Kiara exclaimed immediately after the tone rang. She tried to sound as happy as possible, but it was hard. She couldn’t help but worry for her employee. “It’s me, Kiara! I was just calling to remind you to come to work today! If anything is going on, please don’t be afraid to tell me. Just don’t die on me, okay? Bye!”

Kiara hung up the phone, sighing. “I hope he’s okay.”

* * *

Ryan was most definitely _not_ okay. “Is that all you got?” Storm taunted as Ryan struggled to get up.

“Man, we’ve been doing this for the past however many hours,” Ryan spit out some blood. Storm had been training (read: kicking the crap out of) Ryan ever since Ryan decided to go along with him. Ryan _was_ in fact able to show a lot of progress, but Matsuri did it hurt. “Speaking of which, what time is it?”

“It’s…” Storm paused. “5 am.”

“5 am?! I gotta get to work!” Ryan concentrated his magic power throughout his body, causing his bruises to heal. “Thanks for beating the crap out of me or whatever. I gotta dip.”

Ryan held his hand out and a portal formed in front of it. Storm sighed as he hopped through, the portal. “What am I going to do with you?”

* * *

“Sorry I’m late!” Ryan hopped through the portal into the KFP. “I got caught up with this thing and lost track of time.”

“Ryan! I thought someone tried to assassinate you or something!” Kiara ran out from the back.

“I thought we’ve been over this,” Ryan sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t know why someone would assassinate you.”

“Magical or not, you’ve instigated the United Nations,” Kiara said. “Assassination is a very real possibility now.”

“You know,” Ryan put a finger to his chin before flicking it forward. “I really hate it when you’re right.”

“Glad that we’re on the same page,” Kiara smiled. “Now get behind the counter.”

“I haven’t heard anything from Calliope-san in a while,” Ryan said. “Do you know where she went?”

“She said that she had to do something work related, but Calli told me she was forced on leave last month,” Kiara said.

“She might need to prepare for what will happen in a few days,” Ryan shuddered. “I don’t want to imagine what is going to happen to the poor souls that will be put in Hoshimachi-san’s path.”

“That _does_ sound scary,” Kiara said. “Oh! Your doughnuts came in, by the way.”

“Really?!” Ryan’s eyes started to sparkle comically. “Where?!”

“Right over the-,” Kiara started, but Ryan was already munching on a box of doughnuts he grabbed through a portal. “You’re enjoying your magic way too much, aren’t you?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Ryan said through bites.

“Did we come at a bad time?” Both Kiara and Ryan jumped when they heard Amelia’s voice. They turned to see Gura and Amelia holding hands.

“Hey, Ame, Gura-san,” Ryan smiled as he took another bite of his doughnut. “Want one?”

“I’ll take one!” Gura bolted over and took a doughnut that Ryan offered to her.

“You’ll give up your wife’s hand for a doughnut?” Amelia held her hands close to her heart in a faux expression of pain. “Oh, how you wound me.”

“Yeah, yeah just get over here,” Gura waved her hand dismissively, far more enticed on her doughnut.

“Did you meet Civia and Yogiri yet?” Kiara asked as Amelia walked over to sit down next to Gura in time for Ryan to pour her a cup a tea.

“You should’ve _seen_ the looks on their faces when they saw the rings,” Amelia chuckled. “ _That_ was an interesting reunion.”

“Are you going to be going to China?” Ryan asked, swiftly grabbing the last doughnut.

“Hey!” Gura pouted.

“I ordered them, so they’re mine,” Ryan smirked as he took a bite, much to Gura’s complete anguish.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Amelia chuckled at Gura’s antics. “Honey, we can get more later.”

“Fine,” Gura crossed her arms and looked away in a pout.

“What about you guys? You coming with us?” Amelia asked.

“I don’t think we should be talking about a national raid like a vacation, but yes, we’re coming,” Ryan said as he finished the last of his doughnut.

“So, I heard you got magic,” Amelia smirked at Ryan, narrowing her eyes in intrigue as she leaned in on the counter, holing her head up with her palms.

“Yeah, some evil old man beat it into me,” Ryan said. “Speaking of which, I found the guy who caused the attack.”

“Really?” Amelia’s eyes widened in shock. Gura got the message, her eyes flickering towards her spouse with worry. Gura knew that it was a touchy subject and couldn’t help but worry.

“What attack?” Kiara asked.

“It… has to do with how Ame and I met,” Ryan said, looking down. Ryan didn’t know if Kiara got the message, but she decided not to press on.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Amelia said. She didn’t s _eem_ shaken, but there was an unspoken agreement between the two that the attack on the KFP first time around was still a turning point in both of their lives. “Anyways, what can you do with you magic?”

“Well, according to that old bastard,” Ryan refused to say Storm’s name out loud, either out of spite or fear that uttering his name would somehow summon him, “I can kind of do a bit of everything. He mostly wants me to focus on weapons, though. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I have a lot of relics in my magic storage or something like that.”

“Huh, we need to get together and take a look at those,” Amelia smirked. Ryan shuddered.

“I’m not sure I want to be on the other side of your guns,” Ryan said.

“Yeah, fair enough,” Amelia chuckled.

“Ame! Can we get doughnuts now?” Gura tugged on Amelia’s sleeve.

“Fine, fine,” Amelia sighed and got up. “I guess I’ll see you in a few days. For now, I have an Apex Predator to feed.”

“Your darn right you do!” Gura cheered as she dragged Amelia out of the store. Ryan shuddered as the doors closed.

“You okay?” Kiara asked.

“I don’t know,” Ryan said. “All I can say is that I have a bad feeling.”

* * *

“You ready?” A dark light glowed on the tips of Calli’s outstretched fingers as she channeled her magic into the circle.

“I guess I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” Rushia said, outstretching her hand.

“There’s no turning back after this,” Rushimama said, a green hue escaping from her outstretched palms.

“Alright, let’s get started,” The three closed their eyes and channeled their energy into the magical circle. The green hues of energy intertwined with the darkness that Calli emanated as an explosion of light and power overtook the room. When the light vanished, another person was in the room, standing in the middle of the circle, wearing nothing but a light blue dress. When she opened her eyes, they were a hot pink but when she blinked, the color shifted into an icy blue.

“Alright,” Rushimama lowered her hands and approached the girl. “Welcome back to the land of the living. Do you remember your name?”

The girl stared down Rushimama, who was about eye level to her, her gaze as cold and icy as the ninth circle of hell. “My name is Brianna Edhas,” the girl replied. “Where is my brother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! We got more AmeSame! AmeSame makes me happy


	26. Declarations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

Day 26: Declarations

“HEY RYAN!” Ryan was surprised when Kiara’s voice wasn’t the one to come through the phone, despite Kiara being the one to call him.

“Usada-san?” Ryan asked.

“Yep! Kiara-chan told me a lot about you! She’s preparing right now and wanted you to come in early because there will be a lot of people coming today!” Pekora exclaimed through the phone.

“Alright, I guess I’ll be there in five,” Ryan said, hanging up the phone. He knew he could just use a portal to arrive at the KFP instantly, but he refused to give up the walk to work. He liked his daily routine and taking a fundamental part out of it would be criminal.

* * *

“Morning,” Ryan cracked his neck that he walked in. “I heard a lot of people were coming in today?”

“Pekora-senpai!” Kiara shouted from the back. “Don’t come in here!”

“Do amo do amo do ama!” Ryan heard Pekora’s voice followed by multiple items crashing to the floor. Ryan cautiously walked over to the back room to see Pekora waving around a giant carrot.

“It’s too early for this shit,” Ryan sighed before walking up behind Pekora and plucking the carrot from her hand. “If you’re going to hit someone of something, please do it in the main room.”

“Boo!” Pekora pouted as Ryan gave her back her carrot, leading Ryan and Kiara back the restaurant, where Rushia, Pekomama, and a taller green-haired woman who Ryan assumed was Rushia’s mother.

“Hello and welcome to KFP,” Ryan said with a smile, catching their attention. He honestly surprised himself by not slipping the fact that he already knew Rushia’s name. “My name is Ryan Shade. It is nice to meet all of you.”

“Hello! I am the super sexy boing boing necromancer Uhara Rushia!” Rushia waved her hand in the air as she introduced herself, a smile on her face before turning to the taller (more boing boing) woman. “This is my mother!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ryan,” Rushia’s mother gave Ryan a kind smile. “You may call me Rushimama.”

“You may call me Pekomama,” Pekora’s mother offered a similar smile. “I’m sure my daughter has already introduced herself.”

“Yep! We talked over the phone!” Pekora waved the giant carrot around before taking a large bite.

“Tenchou speaks very highly of you, Usada-san,” Ryan said. He wasn’t lying as Kiara devolved into a massive simp when Pekora entered the room first time around.

“Are you bringing the armies of Pekoland with you?” Rushimama turned to Pekomama. “Depending on how things go, this may end up involving them.”

“This is our fight. Though we will be fighting MILF, it is a queen’s job to keep her people safe.” Pekomama replied.

“I see,” Rushimama nodded. “Rushia-chan, Calliope-chan, and I commenced a ritual to bring an… ace if you will. As much as I wanted to bring her here… YAGOO and Shade decided against it. Said that ‘it wasn’t the best idea’.”

“I see,” Pekomama nodded. “I hope they’re right.”

Ryan didn’t feel the need to add into the conversation, but tucked the interaction into his memory, just in case. He turned to his boss. “So, I heard a lot of people were coming in. What’s that about?”

“Well, since the raid is coming in a couple days, people wanted to come here and celebrate,” Kiara replied.

“Oh, I see,” Ryan tried to keep calm, but failed to repress the shudder that crept up his spine when he remembered the last time they tried to “celebrate” something. He held out his hands and summoned a hammer and some metal plating.

“What’s that for?” Kiara asked.

“Just in case Kiryu-san decides to show up,” Ryan thanked his quick thinking for once. In reality, he was scared that MILF would find a way to break through the barrier again.

“You seem to know a lot of things about us,” Kiara narrowed her eyes, causing Ryan to tense. “But you’re right. We should get to work.”

* * *

Speaking of which, as Ryan was finishing hammering the last nail into the outdoor fortifications, the giant purple dragon landed in front of the fast-food joint. Ryan decided to have a little fun. He walked up to the dragon and started her in the eye. The two stared down each other for a tense moment before a polite customer-service smile grew on Ryan’s face. “Welcome to KFP, how may we help you today?”

The dragon huffed, steam escaping its nostrils before a bright light enveloped the dragon. Ryan kept his smile as the figure shrunk into a rather tall woman with horns. “Good morning, motherfuckers!” She exclaimed as Kanata landed next to her. “Kanatan! You’re late!”

“Well, _I’m_ sorry that I’m not a twenty-meter-tall dragon,” Kanata huffed.

“Is that Pekora-senpai? Let’s go, Kanatan! I want to do a shitpost review with her!” Coco rushed into the joint, ignoring Ryan’s presence completely. Ryan gave a small smile, his eyes following the dragon rush into the store. Well, she was Kiara’s problem now.

“Excuse me?” Ryan turned to see Kanata looking Ryan dead in the eye. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for Coco.”

“I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong person,” Ryan replied, offering the angel a small shrug. “I’ve never met that person in my life.”

* * *

“Hey, can we talk for a second?” Kiara had her hands on her hips, giving Ryan an expression similar to a mother’s expression after her child broke a glass plate.

“Sure,” Ryan said, obliviously following the store manager to the break room.

“There’s something that’s been bugging me,” Kiara closed the door behind Ryan. “You seem to know a lot of names. I’ve talked to some of them and they never met you before coming here. I’ve done some investigating and some things just haven’t been adding up. Care to explain yourself?”

Ryan shuddered. He knew this moment was going to happen, but he’d been pushing the thought out of his head for a while. As much as he wanted to let everyone live in ignorance of his little journey through time, he knew that at least Kiara deserved the truth. Despite this, the thing was…

“I’m going to be honest; I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it,” Ryan said genuinely. “Who knows, something shitty might happen in a couple days and I’ll have to go through this shit all over again. The last thing I want is to have this conversation multiple times. _If_ we survive day fourteen, then I’ll explain everything. Until then, please. I don’t think I can do it right now.”

Kiara massaged her temples in attempt think. Ryan sighed. In all honesty, he was conflicted, which is why he dropped a couple hints into the situation. He _wanted_ her to know why he said and did what he did. Why he would go raid a military stronghold for a store manager he had known for only a week. “Alright, fine,” Kiara said, taking Ryan off guard. “You have your secrets and to be honest, I have my secrets about you as well. Despite that, you saved my life. I’ll wait until you’re ready to share.”

“I know,” Ryan said. “Thank you for understanding.”

Ryan walked back to go to work, leaving Kiara to blink, processing his reaction. Just how much did Ryan know?

* * *

When Ryan stepped out, he saw Suisei and a girl with horns and a puffy wool dress casually sitting and chatting with Kanata and Coco. “Hoshimachi-san! It’s nice to finally see you!” Ryan said in a joking tone. He didn’t have any intention of actually attacking her with his words, rather to poke fun at past events. “It’s been a while.”

“It has been a while, Ryan,” Suisei offered a smile which Ryan couldn’t really determine the meaning of.

“Ah, my name is Ryan Shade,” he addressed the three people who never really got the opportunity to meet (read: stalk) him. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”

“Name’s Kiryu Coco!”

“Amane Kanata. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Tsunomaki Watame, it’s a pleasure.”

“Pork stew, I’m assuming?” Ryan asked.

“How did you know?” Coco asked. To be fair, the inside joke wasn’t well known.

“I know a lot of things,” Ryan smirked, tapping his forehead. “Now, let me find Tenchou because I don’t really know how to cook it.”

* * *

“Thanks, Tenchou,” Ryan said as he placed the giant pot on the stove, effectively leaving the hard work to his boss.

“Ohayappi!” A familiar looking girl walked into the restaurant. Ryan recognized the hat, hoodie, and twin tails immediately. Though it was a minor occurrence considering the past few weeks of Ryan’s life, he remembered her slipping an extra 2000 yen in his wallet. What he remembered as well was Kiara talking about how much she hated being called a good person. He resisted the urge to dawn an evil smile.

As the girl walked up and took a seat next to Watame, Ryan slipped a 2000-yen bill over the counter.

“What’s this?” The woman asked.

“Oh, you just seem like a nice person,” Ryan smiled kindly. “I just hope you’ll pay it forward.”

“N-nice?!” Towa exclaimed, obviously offended. “I’m not nice, I’m a devil, you know?!”

“Sure,” Ryan deadpanned, winking at the others on the counter, causing them to laugh. “I’ll believe you.”

He noted Pekora, Pekomama, Rushia, and Rushimama sitting off on one of the tables. Ryan sighed. Despite Pekora and Rushia’s demeanor normally, their talks became far too intense for Ryan’s liking.

“Yubi Yubi!” Ryan shuddered when the yubi-stealing bane of his existence crash through the doors.

“Oh god, someone help,” Ryan whispered to himself. Unfortunately, the only form of assistance that came was Okayu hungrily scanning the crowd, looking for unsuspecting souls to prank.

“Welcome to KFP,” Ryan said, forcing the memory of fingerless hands deep into his mind. “What would you like today?”

“Give me Yubis!” Korone exclaimed, raising her hand as she took a seat.

“She means head pats,” Okayu said, poorly concealing her sick excitement.

“As much as I would _love_ to,” Ryan shot Okayu a glare, “I have fingers in the back, I think.”

“Yay!” Korone chirped.

“Darn, looks like Kiara-chan already told you about it,” Okayu muttered.

“Nah, I’ve had my fingers removed once,” Ryan said, looking at his wiggling fingers before offering Okayu a playful wink. “It wasn’t pleasant, I’ll say.”

* * *

“It’s weird, since ten people is usually pretty normal for a fast-food joint,” Ryan placed a plate of fried fingers on the counter at the same time Kiara placed the gigantic pot of pork stew on a table where Coco, Kanata, Suisei, and Watame has since moved too.

“Considering our target audience, then ten people is a lot,” Kiara replied as she walked back to the employee’s side of the counter. “Plus, I think more people are coming.”

“MIKO!” As if on cue, Miko popped into the joint.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE-PEKO?!” Pekora shouted.

“Ara, is that your girlfriend?” Pekomama giggled.

“No!” Pekora’s face turned pale. “Don’t say things like that-peko! You’ll summon _her_!”

Ryan noticed that it was suddenly dark out, which was weird, since the forecast for the day was sunny.

“She’s mine…” As another voice entered the conversation, Ryan shivered as he remembered the first real _scary_ experience he had at the KFP, when the crazy purple-haired lady walked in and almost fought Kiara. Speak of the devil, the girl walked in with a devilish aura surrounding her. Miko turned around to face the woman. The purple-haired girl opened her hand, a rapier being summoned forth.

“FAQ!” Miko reached into her garb and pulled out an unsheathed Shinto. As the two went to clashed, Ryan’s hand glowed as he shoved his hand in front of him where a portal formed. His hand appeared in between them, holding a shining white sword, sapphire blue vines encrusted on the hilt and the blade, intervening between the two fighters.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t fight in here,” Ryan said, shooting the girl and Miko a glare.

“Hey Moona!” Pekora shouted over, catching the purple-haired girl’s attention.

“Sanchou,” Moona bowed respectfully before taking a seat next to her before turning to her mom. “Mother-in-law.”

“Aren’t you married to Iofi-chan?” Rushia asked.

“We… agreed to an… open relationship,” Ryan’s eyebrow twitched as Moona’s eyes darted around nervously.

“Miko-senapi! Come sit with us too!” Pekora called over. Miko obliged begrudgingly, shooting Moona a glare the whole time while sitting on Pekora’s other side. Pekora smiled obliviously as they stared daggers into each other.

“Tenchou, I think I’ll let you deal with that,” Ryan said, honestly not caring for what was going to happen, deliberately walking to Korone and Okayu. “So, how’s your day going?”

“Ah! My day was good!” Ryan still got goosebumps every time Korone took a bite out of a human finger. “What about you?”

“My day was alright, about to bet a lot better,” He shot Okayu a wink, who giggled behind a glass of milk and a bowl of ice cream. He opened a portal behind Okayu and Korone and a few pieces of shrapnel flew through. Ryan peeked over, closing the portal. If kills could look, Miko, Moona, and Kiara would be dead two dozen times over.

“Man, this is going to be a rough day,” Ryan rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

Ryan sighed as he opened the door to his apartment, scratches all over his uniform. “Maybe I’ll just chill and watch some MeTube today.” As he turned on the computer and typed in the URL, the first video he saw was titled “War” with 3 million views, despite being posted an hour ago. He’s never seen the creator, but he’s heard the name creator. The Masked Mages. For some reason, that name rang a bell in his head. He clicked the link.

“Hello, everyone. You may call me Shade,” the man said. The man had a mask on, similar to Jack, Sabrina, Storm, and Reporter’s masks, except there was a giant number 1 over it. Was this Shade figure their leader? Who knew. “Today, I will speak upon the behalf of the Mask Mages. The United Nations has something we want. In two days, we will be coming in two days. To the forces of MILF, I’m sure you remember us. If you don’t want a repeat of what happened in California, then you’ll steer clear from China.”

Ryan sighed as he turned off the computer. Whoever these Masked Mages are, they will most likely be in China when he will. Either he will be working with them, or against them.

* * *

“Are you sure posting that video publicly?” YAGOO asked as Shade sipped a cup of hot cocoa through his mask.

“MILF blames us for what happened three years ago,” Shade replied. “They have a bone to pick with us. Publicly calling out them in public would piss them off. From then, we can take them all out.”

“I see,” YAGOO nodded inquisitively as Shade put hand in a cloak, grabbing a mask.

“It’s not too late to join us,” Shade said. “We would be happy to have you with us.”

“I’ll pass,” YAGOO offered Shade a smile. “Honestly, I think I’ve found my home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the final battle is coming soon. I want to take this opportunity to tell you where I want to go with this series. This arc will be the final arc of the main KFP story. I have a prequel and a sequel lined up for my little KFPverse. The sequel will be a lot more of your average coffee shop AU, as I have no real storyline planned for it, but that may very well change. The prequel will be mostly an original story, covering who Ryan was before he got his memories, the origin of the Masked Mages, the circumstances behind Brianna's death, Storm's situation, and the event that took place three years prior. Thank you for reading my content and I hope you continue to follow it.


	27. The Day Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slep!

Day 27: The Day Before

“Welcome back,” Shade picked up the mug of hot cocoa on the table. “How was the underworld?”

“Lucifer treated me well,” Brianna replied. “So, when do I get to see him?”

“Probably not until tomorrow,” Shade sipped on the cocoa. Brianna had gotten used to the masks enough to notice that he was uncomfortable.

“Why not?” Brianna asked. “He’s my brother. I should have every right to see him.”

“Well, there were some… circumstances that have come into play since your death,” Shade sighed. Ryan’s memory loss was the last thing Shade wanted to talk about with Ryan’s sister of all people, but alas, he had no choice. “Let me break it down for you…”

* * *

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara exclaimed through the phone. “Are you all packed on China tomorrow?”

“I have to pack?” Ryan asked. “Aren’t we going to be spending the entire time fighting and stuff?”

“No, we ran out of China after _Moona-senpai_ broke everything,” Kiara growled. Ryan sighed, as _Kiara_ was the one to break the China while they were fighting.

“I’ll be sure to get some on the way to work today,” Ryan said.

“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver!” Kiara chirped before hanging up. Ryan sighed. Just another day at KFP.

* * *

“So, what kind of China do you want?” Ryan asked through the phone as he walked through the store.

“I don’t know, just get China,” Kiara replied. “Ryan, I’m kind of busy at the moment.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave you to make out with Calliope-san,” Ryan said.

“How did you know?!/We’re not making out!” Kiara and Calli exclaimed at the same time.

“I’ll give you two lovebirds a few more minutes,” Ryan said before lowering his voice. “I’d like to live to tomorrow, thank you very much.”

“I heard that!” Calli shouted.

“Am I really on speaker?” Ryan deadpanned. His eyes drifted off to some random girl. When their eyes met, the girl jumped a little and scurried off.

 _Man, I knew I was ugly, but this is a whole new level of insult,_ Ryan thought to himself. The more he thought about it, the more the girl looked familiar. He couldn’t exactly place his finger _where_ he may have met her, but he has.

“You know what? I’m probably going to die tomorrow. I’d rather not help my chances,” Ryan grumbled hanging up the phone. Ryan grabbed the first set of China bowls he saw and went for the register. When he exited the store, he noticed the same girl staring at him.

“Can I help you with something?” Ryan asked, causing the girl the stiffen.

“No,” she replied. “You just reminded me of someone.”

Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but the girl turned and stalked away. _Weird,_ he thought to himself. _I better get back to the KFP._

* * *

The craft of arriving at the KFP on time but after Kiara and Calli’s makeout session was an art form, and Ryan had gotten a hang of such an art form. “Am I dead?” He asked as he opened the doors.

“No, surprisingly,” Calli was sitting on a stool, sipping a glass of wine. “As much as I _want_ to kill you for those remarks you made earlier, Kusotori won’t let me.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Ryan smirked coyly as he walked around back to put the plates away.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said as Kiara walked out from the break room. “You ready for tomorrow?”

“You bet!” Kiara exclaimed, shooting her fist in the air. “Those assholes are going to pay for kidnapping me!”

“We killed all of the ones who kidnapped you,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Yeah, but might as well wipe them all out,” Kiara shot back.

“OHAYOLLIE!” The vague memory of Ryan’s meeting with Ollie flashed back to him as the zombie girl busted in.

“Ollie, did you really drag me out of bed to come _here_?” Anya dragged herself into the joint.

“Ah, Kureiji-san, Anya-san, welcome to KFP,” Ryan walked back over to the counter as the two girls took a seat next to Calli. “My name is Ryan Shade. What can I get you?”

“Ollie’ll have some ramen!” Ollie chirped. “Ramen Guy hasn’t been at the store often so I’m craving!”

“I’ll have some too,” Anya nodded. “Agent 85 always did make good Ramen.”

“Agent 85?” Ryan blurted.

“YAGOO,” Calli offered.

 _Huh, last I remembered, Anya called him YAGOO. That’s weird,_ Ryan thought to himself. He considered asking, but it really wasn’t any of his business. “What kind of ramen would you like?”

“Beef!” The two said in unison.

“Alright, I’ll be right back with your order.”

* * *

“Captain of the Houshou Pirates Houshou Marine has arrived!” Marine burst through the doors, a huge smile on her face.

“My name is Ryan Shade,” Ryan said calmly as he placed the two bowls of beef ramen on the counter before turning to address the pirate. “What would you like?”

“Give me booze!” Marine plopped on the seat, slamming her closed fist on the counter.

“I’m going to have to see some ID,” Ryan replied.

“Uhhh…” Marine rubbed the back of her head.

“Don’t worry about it, she says she’s seventeen even though she’s really forty,” Kiara said through the back.

“Thanks Kiara-cha-, wait WHAT?!” Marine’s face contorted in rage as she slammed both fists on the counter. “I’M FOREVER SEVENTEEN!”

“Whatever you say, Houshou-san,” Ryan sighed. He went into the back and plucked a bottle of Dragonson Liquor. If Marine wanted booze, then Ryan would deliver. As he placed the bottle in front of her, the doors opened again.

“Konbanmusuru~!” Noel and Flare walked in, holding hands, friendship rings shining in the light.

“Shiranui-san, Shirogane-san, I see you’ve finally tied the knot,” Ryan smiled softly when he saw the rings. “Congratulations.”

“W-we’re not married!” Flare exclaimed. “These are friendship rings! Friend! Ship! Rings!”

“We can get married if you want~,” Noel said in what Ryan dubbed her “sexy voice” while offering her “friend” a wink.

“That sounds nice-, I mean not now!” Flare shouted.

“You didn’t deny anything,” Anya pointed out.

“But-,” Flare started, but sighed, finally admitting defeat. “Marine, want to take a table?”

“Sure!” Marine chirped as she grabbed the bottle of booze before skipping over to a table.

“Gyudon, I suppose?” Ryan asked.

“Gyudon!” Noel exclaimed, shooting a fist in the air.

“Today’s going to be a long day, huh?” Ryan muttered to himself.

* * *

“SHUBA SHUBA SHUBA!” As Ryan balanced fifteen bowls of gyudon onto Noel’s table, a duck with a hat walked in and pecked his lower leg.

“Good morning, Oozora-san,” Ryan smiled at the duck. “I can’t really understand bird, so I didn’t really get what you said.”

“SHUBA!” The duck quacked.

“I’ll just get Tenchou,” Ryan sighed as he went to the back.

“Hey Tenchou,” Ryan called over. “Oozora-san is here. Can you take her order please?”

“How do you-,” Kiara stopped herself. “Alright.”

As Ryan followed Kiara back into the main joint, Choco and Ayame were talking with the duck.

“Nakiri-san, Choco-sensei,” Ryan offered a small smile. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Ara, is that really you, Ryan?” Choco asked, putting a finger to her lips. “It’s been a while.”

“I apologize, but I don’t have my memories,” Ryan said.

“I heard,” Choco replied, giving Ryan a patient smile. “That’s okay, you’re still the Ryan I know.”

“Fair enough,” Ryan said as the doors slammed open again.

“I can’t believe you made us late, _Baqua_!” Shion yelled.

“And you didn’t, Kusogaki!” Aqua shouted back.

“Can we please not fight?” Ryan stepped in between the two women. “I already had enough of that yesterday.”

“What’s your deal?” Shion shot Ryan a glare.

“Don’t we have an important event to go to tomorrow?” Ryan asked. “It would be best to save the fighting for tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Shion pouted as the 5 friends took a seat at their own table.

Ryan sighed. Tomorrow was going to change his life as he knew it, so he might as well enjoy today.

* * *

“Today was fun, huh?” Kiara asked Ryan, who was wiping down the counter.

“Kureiji-san is never allowed to pull the sword out of her head in here again,” Ryan grumbled.

“You’re no fun,” Kiara pouted.

“Aw, how could you say that?” Amelia bust through the door with Gura in tow. “Ryan’s a _load_ of fun.”

“He gave me doughnuts!” Gura chirped.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Calli muttered, still sipping on her wine.

“You’re still here?” Ryan asked.

“Always has been,” Calli waved her hand dismissively.

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Amelia asked.

“I guess I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” Ryan replied with a shrug. “I mean, it’s not I haven’t done this before.”

“Fair enough,” Amelia sighed.

“So, how’s the marriage?” Ryan asked.

“It’s great!” Gura chirped. “Ame finally moved in with me and we get to do a lot of collab streams together!”

“Hey Ame,” Ryan leaned towards Amelia’s ear. “I’m going to tell Tenchou about the whole time travel thing after tomorrow. I feel like she deserves to know.”

“That’s fine,” Amelia replied. “It’ll probably be better if I was there.”

“That sounds good,” Ryan said. As he said that, the doors opened as Ina calmly walked into the joint.

“I guess everybody’s here,” Ina walked up to the small group.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ryan asked.

“I’ll throw my two cents in,” Ina replied, throwing two American pennies onto the counter. “Just make sure no one dies.”

“We got this!” Gura exclaimed. “All of us are certified badasses! Yes, even you, Ryan.”

“I’m touched,” Ryan deadpanned.

“Alright, you all should rest up, so you’ll be ready for tomorrow,” Kiara said, clasping her hands together.

“Since when were _you_ the mother figure in this relationship?” Ryan asked.

“You’re so silly Ryan,” Kiara waved her hand dismissively. “I’ve _always_ been the mother hen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final battle approaches


	28. The Final Battle

Day 28: The Final Battle

Ryan’s eyes shot open. Today was the day. He sat up, grabbing his phone and turning it on. The background was replaced by a picture of Ryan and Kiara which Suisei was happy to send. He closed his eyes and two sheathes appeared on his back, each holding a one-handed sword, one black and one white. He opened his eyes and went to his messages. Amelia sent him the location of where to meet. It seemed to be the same location where Gura and Amelia had their wedding. “Well, I wouldn’t want to be late,” Ryan stood up. “Time to go.”

* * *

Ryan stepped into HoloHQ to see a fairly big crowd of people, around fifty, all of them familiar faces. “Ryan!” Kiara called over. She was talking with Civia and Yogiri. Ryan walked over, offering a small smile to the three girls.

“Morning Tenchou, Yogiri-san, Civia-san,” Ryan gave a polite bow of his head as he greeted them.

“You got spunk showing up, kid!” Yogiri placed a fist on his chest, giving him a wide smile. “It means a lot that you did, though.”

“Thanks,” Ryan smiled back. “I won’t let you down.”

“Remember to be careful, though!” Civia said with a gentle yet assertive tone. “We wouldn’t want you to get hurt too badly!”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ryan said.

“It’s nice to see you again, Ryan,” Ryan turned to see Aruran greeting him. “A surprise, but a pleasant one, no doubt.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure, Aru-san,” Ryan shook his hand. “Stay safe out there, okay?”

“Ryan!” Ryan’s through process when a girl slammed through him. When Ryan recovered, he noticed that he has met the girl before. He met her the day before at the store where he bought the plate.

“Do I know you?” Ryan asked, rubbing the back of his head.

“You once did. I heard about your predicament,” the girl said. “My name is Brianna Edhas, it’s a pleasure to meet you again.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ryan shook her hand, offering her a kind, polite smile. “I apologize for not remembering anything.”

“Ryan!” Ryan and Brianna turned to see Brianna and Jack walking up to them. “I see you’ve met Brianna.”

“Yeah,” Ryan said. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Jack took his mask from his trench coat. “We’re a part of the Masked Mages. We’ll be the forefront of the raid.”

“Really,” Ryan said. “I saw the MeTube video. Quite daring.”

“Shade was always one for dramatics,” Brianna sighed. “He wants to take out MILF in one fell swoop.”

“Is that possible? They’re so big,” Ryan noted.

“With you it will be,” Everyone turned to see Reporter and Storm walking up to the group, their masks on.

“R-,” Brianna was cut off by a hand from Reporter.

“Call me Reporter. The old me is long gone,” Reporter said.

“Both of you should be dead,” Brianna said.

“So should you, but here we are,” Reporter said. “It’s nice to see you again, Bri.”

“What are you doing here?” Ryan shot Storm a glare. “Weren’t you with MILF a while ago?”

“I never was,” Storm said. “I do what the void commands me to do. In this case, the void wills me to assist you.”

“Whatever,” Ryan scoffed.

“Can I have your attention please?” YAGOO’s voice was heard over the loudspeaker, catching everyone’s attention. YAGOO was standing on a podium with A-Chan and Shade standing on either side of him. “As you know, we are here to rescue our friends in China, but China will be heavily fortified. Today, our goal is to take out MILF in its entirety. If our sources are correct, the entire Foundation will be on China’s borders. We need to be ready. There is no one more qualified than the ones that are here in this room. We have all lost something or have been threatened by the existence of MILF. Today we will fight their oppression. For our love ones. For those who could not join us in this moment. We will fight for the right to be who we are. We will fight for our freedom!”

There was a loud cheer following YAGOO’s small speech. Ryan smiled. “Now, our friend Brianna here will be opening up a portal to the attack zone. Let’s go. And everyone,” YAGOO’s smile turned soft. “Please don’t die.”

* * *

Ryan stood behind Brianna as she held her arms in front of her, hands outstretched. She closed her eyes and a glowing light appeared from her hands. A portal grew in front of her. “Let’s go,” Brianna said as she walked in. On the other side, Ryan saw a flat terrain a few kilometers from the Great Wall. Even from there, Ryan could see the large amounts of soldiers and the huge guns placed on the Great Wall of China. Ryan saw tanks, helicopters, cars, jeeps, and plane in the distances and the thousands of dots that each represented a soldier.

“There’s only life fifty of us,” Ryan breathed. “Is it really possible to take all of _them_ on?”

“Don’t worry, we will be fine,” YAGOO put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and pointed to the sky next to him. “Look.”

As YAGOO said that, a gigantic mech fell from the sky. The mech had a duck’s face and was completely white. The blue eyes flared to life as it spread its legs and leaned back to shout. “SHUBAAAAA!!!”

Marine held a bottle in her hand and took out the cork, throwing the bottle as far as she could behind her. With a flash of light, the bottle grew into a gigantic floating galleon. “I’m finally a full-fledged pirate! Let’s pillage the _fuck_ out of these bastards!”

With a bright flash of light, Matsuri grew in size until she was matching the duck mech which Ryan dubbed “Shubagelion”. “I AM GOD!”

Coco grew in size until she was in her dragon form. She let out a ferocious roar, jets of fire jutting from her mouth.

“I guess there’s no time like the present,” Kanata floated in the air, her eyes closed, and arms outstretched. Her halo grew in size until it completely surrounded her as it floated to a vertical axis. When she opened her eyes, three sets of gigantic wings jutted from her back. “Let’s do this.”

Shion stood atop her broom as it floated up next to the Shubagelion. With a wave her wand, gigantic boulders rose up, forming two giant fists. Shion put her fists together, the giant fists mimicking her movements.

Pekora’s giant carrot started to glow and dissolve, being replaced with a giant mallet that was twice her size. “YOU’LL PAY FOR TAKING MY FRIENDS-PEKO!”

Pekomama stood next to Pekora with a scepter twirling between her fingers. “As the queen of Pekoland, I deem MILF too dangerous to continue. You have all chosen death.”

“HAACHAMACHAMAA~!!!” Haachama appeared through the portal riding a gigantic tarantula, jets of fire bursting from her hands spread out beside her.

“It’s time for bonk,” Ina grabbed her squishy bangs, pulling them. As she did, her tentacles grew to a gargantuan size. With a purple light, multiple giant crowbars appeared in the grasp of her tentacles. “You will pay.”

Aki rose up using one of her discs as the second one grew to thrice her size as it floated around her.

Mel sprouted bat wings and flew up next to Aki. “You ready?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Aki smiled at her friend.

Suisei raised her hand up, a giant golden axe forming itself in her grasp. She spun the battle axe with practiced ease before slamming the hint on the ground, a gust of wind forming around her.

“Lethal force authorized, switching to combat mode,” Roboco took off her glasses as a form of red lightning started to crackle around her.

“Finally! I get to let loose!” Fubuki’s hair turned dark. When she opened her eyes, they were blood red, signifying that Kurokami was in control. Black flames danced around her sword as she unsheathed it. “Let’s go, motherfuckers!”

“You ready, Koro-san?” Okayu asked, sharpening the knives on her claw-shaped gauntlets before putting them on.

“Yubi Yubi!” Korone dawned similar gauntlets. “All their Yubis will be mine!”

“As much as I would prefer to use a mace, I think it’s time to dance with my old partner once more,” Noel unsheathed a massive, golden two-handed sword. “Let’s go, Excalibur.”

“I won’t fall behind!” Flare clashed two gauntlets together, causing sparks to fly. The impact created a small blast of wind, causing her ponytail to fly in the wind.

Mio growled, a minotaur appearing behind her, cracking its knuckles in sync with Mio. “Let’s go, Hatotarus. Let’s show them what we’re made of.”

“Don’t leave me out of this!” A girl with disproportionate horns flew down, fire dancing from her fingertips.

“Aloe?! You’re alive?!” Nene exclaimed.

“Not really, but do you think some measly thing like death would get in the way of fighting with my family?” Aloe asked, a smile forming on her face. Nene, Polka, Lamy, and Botan smiled back. “I guess HoloFive is back in action.”

“I heard that!” Calli swung her scythe, another cloak flowing onto her back and a hood enveloping her face as she grew into size until she was 5 meters tall.

“Don’t mess with an Apex Predator!” Gura yelled, slamming her trident on the ground. A cyclone of water amassed itself with Gura at the center before the water formed itself into a gigantic shark.

“I love it when my wife wants to be a badass,” Amelia walked up next to Gura, holding her left hand out next to her. With a soft yellow glow, a rocket launcher twice her size appeared in her hand. “Ah, the Ground Pounder. How I’ve missed you.”

Jack sighed as his eyepatch was lit ablaze with green fire. When he opened his left eye, it was green opposed to his right eye, which was brown. When he put on his mask, the green light shined through his number. “Let’s just hope we don’t have to rely on that watch again. I’m still ashamed for creating such a monstrosity.”

“You ready, Ryan?” Sabrina waved her want and it grew into a baton. With her other hand, she put on her mask. “Last chance to back out.”

“Like hell,” Ryan said, unsheathing his swords before turning his attention to Storm.

“It would be an honor to serve you again,” Anya said to storm. “But I must join this fight as well. They have my friends. This is all I can offer you.”

With a soft glow, a kris floated slightly above her palm. “Thank you, Anya,” Storm took the blade, a dark energy emanating from it as he grabbed it. “It is a pleasure to fight with you again.”

“Alright!” Shade’s voice was heard, catching everyone’s attention. He was floating 4 meters above the ground facing everyone. “Today is the day. You all heard YAGOO’s speech. Let’s get our friends. Charge!”

* * *

“Yogiri is back in China!” Rosalyn exclaimed as her book started to glow.

“Really?!” Artia exclaimed. “Where is she?! Is she safe?! What is she doing?!”

“Spade, can you get a visual?” Doris asked.

“Sure!” Spade Echo closed her eyes and activated her magic. After a few seconds of silence, she gasped, opening her eyes.

“What did you see?!” Rosalyn asked, looking at her friend with worry.

“Yogiri got YAGOO,” Spade Echo replied. “They’re storming the country.”

* * *

Ryan enhanced his legs with magic and dashed towards the countless masses of MILF soldiers, swinging his swords. Time seemed to slow for him as he dodged bullets, slashed through soldiers like a warm knife through butter, and dashed through their ranks. Ryan knew he shouldn’t be distracted, but he couldn’t help but take in the sights.

“Poi!” Botan chirped as she threw a grenade in the air. Lamy used her magic to push it into the middle of a bunch of soldiers. Polka then threw Nene up in the air. As she did, Aloe caught her and Nene extended a finger towards the grenade, shooting a laser at it, causing a giant explosion of magic energy.

Purple flames flew from Towa’s hands as she flew through the ranks, literally burning people’s face off. She slammed the ground with both of her hands and several pillars of purple flames erupted throughout the battlefield, decimating tanks and aircrafts alike.

Rushia and Rushimama were surrounded by skulls which burned anyone it touched. As more people fell to the two necromancers, their souls took form as more skulls to take out more soldiers.

Roboco flew the battlefield, her feet replaced by rocket boosters. She shot lasers from her hands, causing several explosions to erupt from enemy ranks.

Coco and Kanata stood back-to-back, Kanata flapping her giant wings as she shot beams of light at tanks and soldiers as Coco stepped on anyone who dared approached, spewing fire at any aircraft that was foolish enough to get close enough to her.

As a MILF soldier pointed a gun at Ryan, he was suddenly beheaded. When the body fell, Ayame revealed herself. “Yo dayo!”

“Thanks for the save, Nakiri-san,” the two stood back-to-back before launching themselves in alternate directions.

Kurokami and Sabrina fought side by side, black and orange flames intertwining as they synergized their attacks with surprising effectiveness. Every so often, Fubuki would take over, the black flames turning white.

Choco flew through the battlefield shooting hot pink lasers at the MILF soldiers. Any soldier that was hit by the laser would immediately turn on each other and start attacking each other.

Okayu and Korone _shredded_ though their opponents, each being cut to ribbons as the mere contact of their claws.

Suisei spun her axe above her head, creating a tornado of blades that cut up anyone that was anywhere near her. She laughed maniacally as body parts rained down.

 _Glad I didn’t piss her off,_ Ryan thought to himself as the Shubagelion shot a giant laser from its mouth.

“SHUBA!” The Shubagelion ascended before flying off, a giant laser sword in its hand. It waved its sword, cutting a tank clean in half, causing it to explode.

“How are you doing, Ryan?” Amelia asked as she hopped over a few MILF soldiers, shooting them with pistols. When she landed, an assault rifle immediately found itself in her hand. She fired a few shots before she let go of it, causing it to disappear. She flipped over a MILF soldier, blasting him in the head with a shotgun in one hand. When she landed, she pointed a sub-machine gun at her enemies with her free hand, unloading on the crowd.

“I’m doing fine,” Ryan swing one of his swords, creating a black blade of energy which sliced its way through dozens of soldiers.

At that moment, Kiara blazed through with wings of fire, slicing any soldier she passed. “Hey, Tenchou,” Ryan said as Kiara landed next to him. They stood back-to-back.

“You’ve gotten strong, Ryan,” Kiara said, smiling. “Remember, you promised to tell me what’s up after this.”

“Assuming we survive,” Ryan said as he cut up another MILF soldier.

“We will,” Kiara said before diving off.

Ryan sighed. “Let’s get this over with, then.”

Gura’s giant shark dived, drowning any soldier in its wake. Gura then surfed on top of the shark, pulling up her hood. She then dived down, her face turning into a shark’s jaw, biting down on a MILF soldier. “Not as good as Ryan’s doughnuts,” she joked as the jaw receded.

“My wife is so badass,” Amelia sighed before grabbing her Ground Pounder and shooting it at the floor, sending her flying towards Gura.

Shion flew through the ranks, grabbing and throwing people with her giant fists as Aqua stood behind her, dousing her enemies with scalding water.

“Ha! That’s 50 for me!” Aqua shouted.

“Are you kidding me, Baqua?! That was _49_!” Shion shouted back.

Ryan then saw Shade casually wading through the ranks of MILF soldiers. Every time he waved his hand, there was a storm of electricity, a literal earthquake, a tornado, or something of that magnitude. Storm then dashed passed Ryan, kris in hand. Every time he moved his weapon, a trail of darkness flowed through it, creating a beautiful piece of art as he cleaved through his enemies with practiced ease.

“Ryan, watch out!” He heard Brianna’s voice. He turned, but it was too late. A tank shell landed in front of him, the explosion launching him back. He groaned as he hit the floor. As he stood up, he saw a giant laser cannon charging.

“Holy shit! Where did they get one of those?!” Ryan dashed out of the way, but when the laser fired, he realized that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Suddenly, he felt a sudden push on his back, let him safely sail past the laser. He turned as the laser subsided, leaving only a pile of ashes and a familiar, orange hat in its wake.

“Tenchou…” Ryan fell to his knees, realizing what happened. Kiara had pushed him out of the way, sacrificing herself in the process. The sounds dulled around him as he stared at the pile of ash, tears falling from his face. Slowly, his face contorted with rage. He stood up, his magic power rising as he faced the army. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t go far. As soon as he took a step, a shot was fired, hitting Ryan in the forehead. Ryan couldn’t even process what happened when his world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second verse same as the first, huh?


	29. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KIKKERIKIII

Day 28.5: Conflict

“You’ve found yourself in a bit of a pickle, haven’t you?” Ryan’s eyes shot open when he heard a voice. What he found odd was that the voice was his somehow. Ryan stood up to confront an exact clone of himself. The only difference was that his clone’s eyes were purple instead of the average brown.

“Who the hell are you?” Ryan narrowed his eyes at the clone.

“I’m you. Well, you before you got your memories wiped,” the clone explained. “Call me Edhas. Ryan wasn’t never my real name anyways.”

“Whatever,” Ryan shrugged. “Though why are you here? Where is here? I should be out there. Fighting.”

“If you didn’t notice, you got shot in the head, again,” Edhas said. “That was an epic fail by the way.”

“Hey, how come you have my memories, and I don’t?” Ryan asked. “That’s not fair.”

“It’s quite simple,” Edhas replied. “You don’t want them.”

“Okay, enough of that,” Ryan sighed. “Why are you here? Let me go.”

“Well, ya kind of failed,” Edhas replied. “It’s my turn. I’m going to finished what I started.”

“What did you start?” Ryan asked.

“I’m going to destroy everything,” Edhas stared Ryan down. “I’m going to destroy everything for what they did to me.”

“By everything, do you mean MILF or _everything_?” Ryan asked. He knew he shouldn’t be wasting his time like this, but it wasn’t like he had anything to do, so he might as well learn about himself.

“Everything,” Edhas replied. “This world doesn’t deserve to exist.”

“Sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” Ryan tensed up. “I have friends back there, you know. I can’t just let you kill them all.”

“What are you going to do, fight me?” Edhas asked, keeping a casual position, his hands in his hoodie pockets.

“If I have to,” Ryan assumed a fighting position. Before he could even react, Edhas’s fist connected with Ryan’s face, sending him sprawling.

“Some fight you put up,” Edhas dusted his fist as Ryan struggled to stand. “It’s no use. I’m stronger than you in every way. You’ve been borrowing _my_ strength, _my_ magic this entire time. You’re nothing without me.”

“That may be true, but I can’t just let you go off and kill my friends,” Ryan assumed a fighting stance again. “Even if I lose, I have to stop you.”

“Jeez, you sound so cliché,” Edhas punched Ryan in the gut, backhanding him to the floor. “You should really try shutting up for once.”

“Heh, you’re right, but that just shows how much I’ve changed,” Ryan said.

“Yeah, but aren’t you mad?” Edhas kicked his stomach. “Didn’t you just lose your closest friend? Your manager? Don’t you just want to destroy everything?”

“I am mad,” Ryan grabbed Edhas’s foot. “I am angry, don’t get me wrong, but just because I’m mad doesn’t mean I can destroy everything. It’s not what she would’ve wanted me to do. Plus, I have other friends that are worth living for. I can’t just up and destroy everything less than a week after Gura-san and Ame got married. That’s just a dick move, you feel?”

“That sounds dumb,” Edhas said. “I lost everything dear to me. _Everything_. Just when things would start to look up, it would get yanked away. All this world does is take from me, so I feel like it’s high time that I take from it.”

“Man, are you sure about that?” Ryan asked, rolling over before getting up. “The looks Sabrina gives me speak otherwise. She looks at me like I was her ex or something.”

“Well…” Edhas’s voice faltered.

“Choco-sensei seems to care for you,” Ryan continued.

“She’s paid to care for me,” Edhas shot back.

“That Brianna girl seemed to miss you,” Ryan said. “I don’t know who she is, but you might.”

“Wait, Brianna’s alive?!” Edhas exclaimed.

“I don’t know the full details, but apparently she came back from the dead or something,” Ryan said. “Who is she?”

Edhas walked up and hammered Ryan on the head, though Ryan could detect that his strikes weren’t malicious. “She’s your sister, you dolt!”

“I have a sister?” Ryan asked, flabbergasted.

“Yeah,” Edhas groaned “I guess that there’s a change of plans.”

“Maybe we could show you that there are things that make life worth living,” Ryan smiled, offering his hand. “I mean, since you’re me, I guess we’re stuck together.”

“You really need to stop spewing all this cliché nonsense,” Edhas grumbled. There were a couple seconds of pause before he took Ryan’s hand. “But sometimes, I guess that you need some of it in your life.”

“Don’t worry, cliché bullshit is my specialty,” Ryan said as the area lit around them. After a few seconds, the light enveloped the void, consuming it completely.

* * *

Ryan’s eyes shot open. He stood up in the middle of the battlefield before turning to the pile of ash and Kiara’s hat. That’s right. She was still dead, but it was his job to make sure that no one else died as well.

As he prepared to dash, time seemed to stop around him. _My body feels so much lighter,_ he thought to himself as he dashed towards his enemies. When he did, he launched himself much farther than he planned to. He shrugged to himself, slashing his sword at a random goon. The sword created a giant slash of light, cutting through a large number of soldiers. _What the hell?_

 _“Stop thinking. Follow your instincts, dipshit,”_ Rang a voice in Ryan’s head.

 _Edhas?_ Ryan thought to himself.

_“No shit, Sherlock. Who did you think I was? The boogeyman?”_

_Why are you so aggressive?_ Ryan asked.

_“Shut up. Doesn’t matter. Just fight.”_

_Fine,_ Ryan sighed and let his instincts take over. He skidded to a halt, grabbing both his swords. He dashed through a long line of soldiers, slashing through them. When he skidded to a halt, the soldiers were reduced to confetti. He dashed around the battlefield, swinging his swords. Every time he swung his swords, a different element came forth to slash his enemies. He skidded to a halt next to Kiara’s ashes once more.

 _I’m doing this all based off instinct?_ Ryan thought, half asking himself and half asking Edhas.

 _“Of course,”_ Edhas replied in his said. _“I’m your instincts.”_

 _Having a split personality is a pain,_ Ryan thought to himself.

“Ryan! You’re alive!” Amelia ran to him. “We all saw you get shot in the head!”

“Yeah, that’s becoming a reoccurring theme for me, huh?” Ryan said. His body then moved on its own. One of his swords morphed into a pistol and shot a MILF soldier in the head.

 _“Watch your six, numbnuts,”_ Edhas grumbled in his head.

“Thanks for the save,” Ryan said, talking without thinking.

“I didn’t do anything..?” Amelia said, giving Ryan a confused looked.

“Sorry, I apparently have a split personality now,” Ryan said, beheading another MILF soldier by throwing his sword like a boomerang. “Apparently my second half is a badass or something like that.”

_“Damn straight.”_

“Sure, I’ve seen worse,” Amelia said before turning to shoot a plane out of the sky with her Ground Pounder. “Just don’t die again, okay?”

“Wasn’t counting on it,” Ryan said as he dashed off.

* * *

“We’re almost there!” Artia called. Since evacuation orders were called across the nation, most of China was deserted, so the four stragglers could make their way to the battlefield. Artia thrust her hands down and a small cyclone pushed the four over the wall. They landed in the middle of the Great Wall of China, instantly springing into action.

Spade Echo used her magic to jam the giant turrets, causing them to explode before sending high frequencies into soldiers’ ears, causing them to collapse in pain.

Doris summoned her trident, impaling a soldier. Each point of the trident a dense, pressurized stream of water, stabbing anything in its path.

Pages flied off of Rosalyn’s book as she opened it, launching themselves at soldiers and turrets. The magically sharpened pages cut enemy soldiers like butter, lodging themselves in turrets, causing them to explode.

Artia expertly wielded a blade of wind, using hand motions to control the air around her. She turned to continue attacking when a cigarette landed between two soldiers. The cigarette caught fire and the fire spread to any MILF soldiers in proximity.

“Guys!” Yogiri landed next to Doris.

“Yogiri!” Rosalyn called, launching a page towards her. Yogiri raised a finger, a small flame dancing atop the finger and let the paper pass her, watching the piece of paper catch fire.

“It’s nice to be back!” Yogiri smirked as Civia jumped up the wall, landing by Yogiri, standing back-to-back.

“I agree,” Civia twirled a rapier in her hand before assuming a fighting position. “It’s so nice to see you all again.”

* * *

Kiara awoke in an endless void with nothing but an arrow pointing to a door. “I guess I died again, huh?”

“It seems that you did,” a man said. He was sitting down, leaning on the sign where the arrow was posted on. He wore a torn and tattered cloak, dirt and grime all over his body. He looked up, his ruby eyes meeting Kiara’s amethyst eyes. His eyes spoke of countless years of wisdom and pain.

“I don’t want to move on,” Kiara said. “I can’t leave this dimension the way I did. Ryan was going to tell me his secrets. We were going to recuse everyone. We were going to live happily ever after. I can’t leave them.”

“You’ve changed since I’ve seen you last,” the man said, rubbing his short, spiky hair. “Tell me, what caused you to mature so much?”

“There were stakes this time. I had someone I needed to care for,” Kiara replied. “I’ve spent millennia just fawning for Calli and doing my own thing, but Ryan… things were different. I had a proper friendship with him. Most dimensions, I like to keep my distance after what happened with the sand bird, but I liked the routine we had. Calling him every morning and bothering him. Watching him learn how to use his magic. Hell, even trying to piece together how much he knew was fun. I just… don’t want to go.”

“I see,” the man raised his hand and moved it to the opposite direction of the arrow and an onyx door revealed itself. “I’m proud of you, Takanashi Kiara. Go on. Return to your family.”

Kiara walked towards the door and opened it. Before she left, she turned to the man and smiled. “Thank you, sensei.”

* * *

Ryan stabbed his sword down on one of the many bodies piled below him, panting heavily. _You know, you’re not bad at this fighting thing,_ he thought to Edhas as he leaned on his sword for support. He looked around him. The battle was settling down. YAGOO and Shade made quick work of the gigantic laser cannon that killed Kiara.

 _“Yeah, too bad you suck ass at it,”_ Edhas said in his head.

 _Heh, I was never really a fighter anyways. I was more of a “sit on the couch and do nothing” kind of guy,_ Ryan made his way down the hill of bodies he made and made his way over to Kiara’s ashes. Amelia, Gura, Ina, and Calli were all standing by the pile of ashes looking solemn.

“She’ll come back, right?” Gura asked.

“No, every time Kiara dies, she goes to another dimension,” Calli replied.

“So she’s gone?” Amelia asked, sniffling.

“It seems so,” Ina didn’t even attempt to throw in a joke.

As Ryan approached, the ashes caught fire. Everyone stepped back as the flames rose in size. Eventually, flaming wings sprouted from the flames and a humanoid figure rose from the ashes. “KIKKERIKIII~!!!”

“You dolt!” Ryan didn’t even wait for the flames to subside to bonk Kiara on the head with his fist before pulling his manager into a bone-crushing hug. “I thought you died!”

“I guess I got lucky,” Kiara hugged Ryan back with one arm, using her free hand to rub the spot where Ryan hit her. She then looked at Calli, Gura, Ina, and Amelia, who looked flabbergasted. “What’s that look for?”

Amelia, Gura, and Ina dived in to join the hug while Calli stood there. After a couple seconds, she scoffed, walking over to the group and placing her arms around them.

“So, what happened?” Kiara asked after pulling away from the hug. “All I remember was pushing Ryan away from a giant laser and then boom! I was dead.”

“Well, Ryan got shot in the head,” Amelia said.

“Again,” Ryan grumbled. “Being shot in the head isn’t fun.”

“Again?” Kiara, Calli, and Ina asked in unison.

“Not important,” Ryan said. “I’ll explain later.”

“Well, out of nowhere, Ryan came back to life and started kicking absolute _ass_!” Gura cheered.

“Apparently he has a split personality or something now,” Amelia said.

 _“I’m not a split personality!”_ Edhas yelled in Ryan’s head. _“A shitter version of me is controlling my body, that’s all!”_

“My other half wants you all to know that I am amazing and _easily_ the superior out of the two,” Ryan said.

_“Fuck you!”_

_Sure buddy,_ Ryan thought.

“Now that this battle is over, care to explain yourself?” Kiara turned to Ryan, narrowing her eyes. In truth, she didn’t really care all too much, she just wanted to know the scalding hot tea.

“Well, the truth is, I…” Ryan trailed off when his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

“Ack!” Kiara yelped as Ryan hit the floor. Amelia knelt down to check his vitals. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” Amelia looked up, giving Kiara a smug yet genuine smile. “He just needs rest and at this point, I’d think he deserves it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Just wanted to leave you with another update as the series will be coming to a close soon. Unfortunately, I have to do a lot of planning for the prequel as I barely have an exoskeleton of the story so after this fic ends, I will start working on the sequel. I'll refrain from details for now as I plan on starting the sequel maybe a few days to a couple weeks after I finish this fic. Until then, stay tuned! Thank you for continuing to read my writing.


	30. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Puyo

Day 29: The Day After

Kiara rolled around in her bed all night, unable to sleep. Despite the fact that she was alive again in the same dimension by some miracle. She was giddy that she got to stay in this dimension, but also anxious as well. She cupped her hands in front of her and a small flame flared to light. The flame grew for a couple seconds before subsiding to reveal a small box, orange and blue in color.

“Should I do it?” She tapped the top of the box with her finger, causing the box to open. The box contained a skull shaped ring with two rubies encrusted in the eye sockets and two bigger rubies encrusted on either side of the skull. She knew diamonds were traditional for weddings, but she felt that Calli would like the ring that she ordered rather than a standard diamond ring.

 _C’mon Kiara! You’ve been fawning over this chick for thousands of years! There’s no time like the present!_ Kiara closed the box, letting it dissolve into flames again before standing up. _Yep! Today is the day!_

* * *

Calli sat on her gaming chair, looking at the tiny, black box. She sighed, opening the box. The small box revealed a beautiful ring with little, orange wings and a golden outline. In between the wings was a diamond shaped diamond which was tinted cyan. Kiara’s brush with death made Calli think. Kiara’s dimension hopping was… complicated to say the least. There was always a chance for a Kiara to appear in any given timeline, but there’s a chance that it would be _her_ Kiara. Well, it’s never _her_ Kiara, but this time, a miracle happened. She didn’t know if someone pulled some strings, but no matter the reason, she was forever grateful.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Calli sighed. She didn’t know if something was going to happen, so she might as well do it now. She’s spent the last few thousand years struggling with her feelings for the stupid bird. Maybe it was finally time to admit that she loved her.

* * *

 _“Wake up, asshole!”_ Ryan groaned as consciousness hit him like a bullet to the head.

 _Damn,_ Ryan sat up, rubbing his head. _I wasn’t dreaming._

 _“Damn right it wasn’t a dream, now get up!”_ Edhas shouted in his head.

 _You know, I always thought that my other half would be the quiet badass type,_ Ryan opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings. He seemed to be in his room back in Japan. _How long was I out for?_

 _“A bit over fifteen hours,”_ Edhas replied. _“Those girls that were carrying you back were talking about meeting at a… KFP? Yeah, that’s what they called it. Sounds like a shitty ripoff of KFC.”_

 _I have no idea what you’re talking about,_ Ryan thought to himself as he forced himself up, resisting the urge to groan as his aches flared. _Do I have to go?_

 _“For all intensive purposes, you’re in a coma,”_ Edhas replied. _“If you want, I can make that a reality.”_

 _Can it,_ Ryan thought as he opened the door to his apartment.

* * *

“Hey Calli!” Kiara exclaimed as Calli walked into the KFP through her typical black mist. “You’re early!”

“Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, Kusotori,” Calli’s expression turned serious.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something too,” Kiara said, sweating bullets. What did Calli want to talk to her about? Was she in trouble? Did she have to go? No matter, as long as she got to propose, but she was scared. Maybe she could stall for time. “But you can go first. It’s not like I have anything important to say.”

“No, I think you should go first,” Calli replied. Calli resisted the urge to shuffle nervously. She didn’t want to admit her feelings. Not yet. Sure, Kiara flirted with her a lot, but did she really _love_ Calli?

“How about we to at the same time,” Kiara said. “On the count of three. One… two… three..!”

The two lovebirds pulled out their ring boxes at the same time. “Will you marry-,” they both stopped when they saw the boxes the other held. “What the hell?!”

Suddenly, the sound of a camera shutter caught Calli and Kiara’s attention. They turned to see Ryan pointing his phone camera at them. “Oh,” Ryan said, pocketing his phone. “I’m not here. Carry on.”

“You really want to marry me?!” Kiara turned back to Calli. Ryan was the least of her problems now. Sure, she was happy that he was safe and awake, but Calli just _proposed_.

“No shit, Kusotori!” Calli snapped, her face beet red. “Who else was I going to marry?!”

“Oh, I’m so happy!” Kiara tackled her now fiancée, pulling her into a kiss.

“Looks like I missed the action,” Amelia said, talking her place next to Ryan. “Nice to see you’re alright, Ryan.”

“Alright isn’t exactly what I’d use to describe my mental state,” Ryan deadpanned. “I was able to get a couple pictures if you want them.”

“Hell. Yes,” Amelia smirked evilly. “The more blackmail material, the better.”

“Don’t worry, Ina sent me some blackmail material for you and Gura,” Ryan mimicked Amelia’s evil smirk. “Speaking of which, where’s your better half?”

“OOCHA!” Gura dived through the doors, wrapping her arms around Amelia’s shoulders. “Right here, matey!”

“Matey?” Ryan echoed, confused.

“She’s been spending too much time with Senchou,” Amelia replied. Ryan heard Kiara calling Marine Senchou more than once, so he just used his context clues.

“I see,” Ryan nodded, when he did in fact, not see.

“Morning!” Ina walked into the KFP. “It’s nice to see you alive and well Ryan. You slept like the dead yesterday.”

“Very funny,” Ryan deadpanned, turning to her as to avoid the loud snogging that was going on behind him.

“What did I miss?” Ina asked.

“Calli and Tenchou are getting married, apparently,” Ryan replied. “About fucking time, too.”

“I guess that makes us the only loners in this group,” Ina gigged. “I mean, we were loners from the start.”

“I’m not complaining,” Ryan sighed. “I already have another half of me to deal with.”

“Speaking of which,” Kiara managed to detach herself from Calli’s lips. “You promised to tell me those juicy secrets yesterday, but you ended up passing out.”

“I guess a promise is a promise,” Ryan sighed, turning to Amelia. “You’re okay with this, right?”

“I mean they deserve to know,” Amelia replied.

“Alright, the truth is, Ame and I are from the future,” Ryan said. “Well, it’s not the future anymore. Technically, we travelled from yesterday to two weeks ago. In our original time, things weren’t _nearly_ as eventful as this time around. The MILF raid last week succeeded, and it turned into a non-issue and yesterday…”

“What happened yesterday in your time?” Kiara asked as Ryan trailed off.

“Ame, can you explain this one?” Ryan shuffled uncomfortably. “I was kind of…”

“Dead,” Amelia finished. “Ryan was shot in the head. A bunch of people came here to celebrate Ryan’s two weeks of employment when MILF raided, killing almost everyone. Honestly, I don’t know who survived and who died. I just used my clock and boom. I was in the past. Apparently, Ryan had his memories too. That’s why I was acting weird during the grand opening and why Ryan was the one to comfort me.”

“That…” Kiara paused, looking for the right words. There was a tense silence for what felt like hours.

 _“You sure this was the right idea, champ?”_ Edhas asked.

 _Now you decide to pop in?_ Ryan asked. _And what’s with the champ? Where’s your usual attitude?_

 _“Look, I’m really trying my best to understand your predicament right now. I’ve divulged secrets before and a lot of people didn’t really take it well,”_ Edhas said. _“I want to see what you stopped me from destroying everything”_

“Honestly, I don’t know what to say,” Kiara offered Ryan a soft smile. “But since you decided to come back, we must have been friends back then too, right?”

Ryan smiled, tears welling up in his eyes. “You’ve always been my best friend, both in the past life and this one.”

“Then come here,” Kiara spread her arms, inviting him into a hug. Ryan sniffled.

 _“You know, this crowd seems alright,”_ Edhas said.

 _Damn straight,_ Ryan thought as he hugged his boss before he could let the tears flow freely.

“Thank you Tenchou,” Ryan said, his face buried in her shoulder.

“No problem,” Kiara stroked Ryan’s hair comfortingly. “Anything for my little egg.”

“You know, I’ll let it slide, just this once,” Ryan said, causing everyone to laugh.

* * *

It took a couple minutes for Ryan to recover, but he eventually pulled away. “Sorry for stealing your fiancée like that,” Ryan joked.

“It’s fine, Kusotori is allowed to have friends,” Calli said. “Plus, I know you wouldn’t try to hook up with her.”

“You sure about that~?” Kiara leaned over and winked seductively, her hands behind her back.

“Positive,” Ryan deadpanned. As they were conversing, the door opened. Ryan turned to see all of the Masked Mages. Shade, Jack, Sabrina, Brianna, Reporter, and Storm walked into the restaurant.

 _“Damn, they look terrible,”_ Edhas said in Ryan’s head. _“I’ve always been against those stupid masks. They look dumb as shit.”_

 _You were a part of them?_ Ryan asked.

 _“Of course,”_ Ryan could _hear_ the smugness in Edhas’s tone. _“I was the strongest.”_

 _I have reason to believe otherwise,_ Ryan said.

“What’s up?” Ryan waved his hand. “Tenchou, are we open?”

“No…” Kiara said. “How did you guys get in here? I restricted the barrier this morning.”

“It was Storm,” All the Mask Mages including Ryan said in unison.

“What?” Storm asked innocently as everyone shot him a glare.

“We won’t be here for long,” Shade raised his hand sightly. “We just wanted to notify Ryan here that we’re all going to be leaving Japan for the time being.”

“You seem like a good drinking buddy, pal,” Jack walked up to Ryan and gave him a firm handshake. “Maybe I’ll stop by every now and then.”

“Sorry, Jack, I can’t drink on the job,” Ryan said.

“Sucks,” Jack sighed.

“You’ve changed since I last saw you,” Sabrina said. “I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Ryan smiled. “It truly does mean a lot, Sabrina.”

Sabrina then turned to Kiara. “I trust you to keep him out of trouble when I’m in America.”

“You bet!” Kiara put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

“As much as I want to meet the new you, I need to reintegrate myself back into society now that I’m alive,” Brianna smiled. “I’m going to be going to college with Sabrina, but I’ll be sure to stop by every now and then to check up on you.”

“I would love to get the chance to meet you,” Ryan replied. “Honestly, I’ve always wanted a sister.”

Jack, Brianna and Sabrina jumped slightly at the realization that Ryan remembered who Sabrina said, but Reporter, Shade, and Storm looked like they already knew. “Say hi to aniki for me, eh Ryan?” Reporter put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

“I know your situation is complicated, but it’s something you have to work out for yourself,” Storm said. “The void calls us back. We cannot help any more than we already have.”

“As much of an asshole as you are, I’m going to miss you, Storm,” Ryan smirked. Storm offered a curt nod in response.

“Before we go, Ryan, I would like to give you this,” Shade gave Ryan a mask. Ryan looked at it, tracing his fingers across the giant number 5. “You’ll always have a place with us.”

 _“Let me take control for a second,”_ Edhas said in his head. _“I want to say something.”_

 _How do I do that?_ Ryan asked.

 _“Just let me deal with this,”_ Edhas said. Suddenly, Ryan lost control of his body. He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn’t budge. He was fearful, but he had no point but to trust his other half.

“Thanks, but Edhas these masks are fucking stupid!” Ryan heard his own voice said. He saw a couple of them stiffen before vanishing, leaving only Shade, who turned around to face him.

“It’s good to have you back,” he said before vanishing with the rest of them. As he did, Ryan lurched forward, suddenly gaining control of his body again.

“Are you okay?” Kiara asked, looking at him with worried.

“Yeah, I’m just getting used to my… situation,” Ryan gave Kiara a kind smile.

 _“I’m not a situation, asshole!”_ Edhas snapped. Ryan sighed. This was going to get some taking used to.

* * *

“Hey, Kusotori,” Kiara yelped when Calli was already in her apartment when she opened the door.

“Calli! What a pleasant surprise!” Kiara smiled. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No thank you,” Calli walked over, pulling Kiara into a hug. “I just want you.”

“W-what?!” Kiara’s face flushed a deep red as Calli tightened her embrace. “C-Calli?!”

“I’ve spent all this time putting my work over my feelings. I’ve always tried to keep people at an arm’s length, so I didn’t falter in my work. When you died yesterday, I realized how dumb off me it was,” Calli pulled away, holding Kiara’s face in her hands, her lips softly curling upwards. “I know I’m not too good all of this, but I’ll try my best. I hope you’ll have me.”

“Have you?” Kiara grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss, resting her other arm on Calli’s shoulder. “Let me take you right now.”

“Take me?” Calli tilted her head in confusion. “Like on a date? Where do you want to go? I have tomorrow off, so I was just thinking of chilling with some wine.”

“What-?” Kiara was taken aback by Calli’s response as she wanted to do something very bottom left with her fiancée, but sometimes the Shinigami was too pure for her own good. She sighed, offering Calli a smile. “Nevermind. I would love to do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you shall receive. Takamori wedding time!!!


	31. Epilogue: Till Death Do Us Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAKAMORI WEDDING TIME!!!!!!!

Day ???: Till Death Do Us Part

“Are you sure you don’t want to get married?” Ina asked Ryan over the phone. “I mean we’re the last two. It seems logical.”

“I’ll pass,” Ryan chuckled a bit. He and Ina had gotten a lot closer since Calli proposed to Kiara, having something in common, despite how strange said thing was. “You headed there now?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you there,” Ina said, hanging up the phone. Ryan fixed his tie. He was happy he wasn’t the best man this time because he felt like there was too much pressure on him. Kiara played around with the idea but decided against it. (AN: Ryan may or may not have had a say in that decision.)

“I’m glad to see you’re alive,” Ryan turned to see Suisei smiling at him. “You’re a good man, Ryan Shade. I’ve figured that much out.”

“How far we have come,” Ryan shrugged, smiling and shaking his head. “It’s nice that I don’t have to look over my shoulder every five minutes.”

“That is a plus,” Suisei giggled. “Honestly, I appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

“No,” Ryan held his hands up. “You guys have done more for me than I can ever repay you for.”

Suisei tilted her head, confused. “You really _are_ an interesting one, Ryan Shade.”

“I’ve heard,” Ryan said. “Want to walk with me?”

“Why not?” Suisei smiled kindly as she hopped over to his side.

 _“Watch out, jackass. She’s dangerous,”_ Edhas said in his head. Ryan and Edhas started to pave the way towards a good partnership, but they weren’t past petty name calling and arguing.

 _I figured,_ Ryan resisted the urge to chuckle to himself.

* * *

Ryan walked in, taking a seat next to Ina. Since Gura and Amelia were chosen as bridesmaids, Ryan wasn’t able to meet up with them. “About time you show up,” Ina threw Ryan a playful smile. “I was starting to get lonely.”

“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled. He noticed that Suisei wasn’t anywhere to seen. He sighed. She probably went off to stalk someone. To Ryan’s surprise, Suisei showed up with Miko to sing during the processional. Seriously, what’s with his friends and getting idols to sing at their weddings? Ryan noticed neither of the brides were on the stage as well. The first pair to show up was Amelia and Gura, wearing yellow and blue dresses respectively, followed by Korone and Okayu, wearing brown and purple dresses, followed by Kanata and Coco, wearing white and orange dresses, then Botan and Lamy walked down, wearing gray and light blue dresses. It came to no surprise when Kiara picked Pekora as her bridesmaid, but he was a bit bewildered when he saw Rushia walk down next to her. Pekomama was the one to bring the flowers while Rushimama brought the rings. Suddenly, the song changed.

 _“It’s called Shiny Smily Story,”_ Kiara’s voice rang in his head. He’s heard the song once before when he heard Kiara sing the song while doing the dishes. _“I love to sing this song. It makes me smile every time I do. No matter how bad things get, singing this song always makes me feel better.”_

Ryan forced his tears back. _Damn, why am I getting emotional now?_

 _“It’s okay to be emotional, dumbass. This is an emotional event,”_ Edhas said.

 _I rue the day when you give me emotional advice,_ Ryan thought to himself, rolling his eyes. That’s when it happened. Kiara and Calli walked down the aisle together, their dresses tinted purple and orange respectively. As they stepped up the aisle, they looked at each other, smiling.

This time, YAGOO stepped up as the officiant. “We have gathered here for a union between life and death today. The first to happen since the dawn of time. Today we get to see love that transcends blood and tradition. Today, we witness true love.”

Honestly, Ryan spaced out throughout the readings. Pekora talked about all the fun times they had when they first met, Coco talked about how she teased Calli and Kiara for a few hundred years and how happy she is that they’re finally tying the knot, and Gura talked about when Kiara and Calli were back when she as a “baby shark”.

After the readings YAGOO turned to the couple. “Normally, I wouldn’t ask this, but note that you two are immortal, making this contract much more impactful.”

“I know,” Kiara gave YAGOO a patient smile. “I’m willing to be with Calli until the end of time.”

“Until death do us part,” Calli smiled.

“Alright,” YAGOO nodded. “Onwards to the vows.”

“Calli,” Kiara closed her eyes, bring her hands to the center of her chest. “I remember when I first met you millions of years ago. This is something that I rarely admit to myself, but I’ve loved you ever since I laid eyes on you. Just everything about you. The way you swung your scythe, the way you pouted and crossed your arms, the way you smiled. Ever since I met you, I tried to find every excuse I could to meet you. I remember it got to the point where Sensei would train me in the underworld so I wouldn’t go running off every other day. Even when you scolded me and said mean things, I knew you cared for me. Over the centuries, I started to see the real you, and I only fell in love with you more. I don’t think I’ve loved anything or anyone more. I know that however long I live, no matter what timeline or dimension I travel to or wherever I wind up, I will always find my way back to you.”

“Kusotori,” Calli said. “I know I was never good with feelings, but I am happy to finally express them now. When I saw you, I thought you as nothing but another one of those living beings. I never knew why Death-sensei made me interact with living beings, but after spending time with you, I finally learned. When I did, I hated it. I hated the way I felt and the way you made me feel. Only after hundreds of thousands of years did I realize that I was scared. I was scared that something would happen to you if you continued to hang with Death’s Apprentice. I was scared that after a while, you’d get sick of me and leave. I was scared of getting attached. Now, I know that I don’t have to be scared anymore. I know that we’ll be together forever. Now I finally understand why Death-sensei wanted me to meet you. He wanted me to learn what it was like to love, and I am proud to say that I’ve learned.”

With a hand gesture, Rushimama walked up with the rings. “With these rings, I wed you, Takanashi Kiara and Calliope Mori,” YAGOO said, slipping a ring on each of their left ring fingers. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Flashbacks of the first time Ryan caught Kiara and Calli snogging made themselves present as Kiara rushed up to her wife (AN: It’s feels so good to finally write that), pulling her into a kiss.

 _“Man, your like was lowkey kinda fucked before you got your magic,”_ Edhas said.

 _As opposed to how normal my life is now?_ Ryan thought back.

 _“Fair point,”_ Edhas sighed.

* * *

“Congratulations on your marriage,” Ryan said, walking up to the newlyweds. “It was only a matter of time, of course.”

“Thanks~!” Kiara pulled Calli into a kiss, as if to flaunt her relationship.

“Guh! Do you have to do that every time someone congratulates us?” Calli asked.

“I can’t help it~,” Kiara winked at her wife. “I just want to express how much I love you~”

“I love you too, Kusotori,” Calli rolled her eyes before pecking Kiara on the cheek. Who squealed with so much excitement, her hair caught fire.

“Does this happen often?” Ryan asked.

“Well, it started happening a lot yesterday,” Calli replied.

 _“Heads up, you got someone watching you,”_ Edhas said.

“Give me a second,” Ryan turned around and saw a man looking at him, a sad smile on his face. His dirty blond hair was combed to the side to reveal his crimson eyes. The more Ryan looked into the man’s eyes, the more he could see different emotions flashing through the man’s eyes. Pride, Happiness, Sentimentality, Nostalgia, and was that Envy? The man gave Ryan a thumbs up before his body slowly crumbled to sand, tumbling away in a little cyclone.

 _Who was that?_ Ryan asked.

 _“I think I’ve seen him before,”_ Edhas said. _“The legendary sand bird was a huge help during the fight against the god of earth.”_

 _Hold up,_ Ryan almost held his hands up. _Did you say_ god _?_

 _“Told you my life was interesting,”_ Edhas said.

 _You never said that,_ Ryan thought back.

 _“Bah, technicalities,”_ Edhas said.

 _Let me enjoy the damn wedding,_ Ryan grumbled in his head before walking off.

* * *

_“Did you enjoy yourself, dipshit?”_ Edhas asked. _“You know, that Enma figure is a woman after my own heart.”_

 _I know you did,_ Ryan sighed. He was picking out people at the recession, fighting Ryan for control to fight them because “they seemed strong”. _And yes, you seem just about as muscle-headed as Enma-san._

 _“Maybe you should hook up with her,”_ Edhas suggested.

 _I will fight you,_ Ryan grumbled.

 _“Remember what happened last time?”_ Edhas shot back.

 _“Fair point,”_ Ryan sighed. Suddenly, a black fire burst up in front of him, revealing a man looking down at Ryan. He was easily over six feet tall, towering over Ryan. His eyes burned with a crimson Ryan had only seen in the blood of his enemies. He wore a black cloak that was torn and tattered and carried a scythe that was rusted in multiple areas.

“Do you need something?” Ryan asked, more curious than aggressive. Calli taught him that not all strangers with scythes could be bad, so he might as well give the man the benefit of the doubt.

The man took a step, his gaze boring into Ryan. Ryan started to feel intimidated, even with Edhas and all the badass magic powers he gained in the past few days. The man put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “You’ve done well,” he said, his voice gruff but gentle. “Keep them safe.”

Before Ryan could open his mouth, the man disappeared in a flash of black flames. “What the hell?”

 _“Heh, I never thought I would see the old coot again,”_ Edhas chuckled.

 _Who the hell was he? Why the fuck we he so scary?_ Ryan asked.

 _“That’s a story for another day,”_ Edhas said.

_Whatever, wiseass._

_“Dipshit.”_

* * *

Ryan woke up the next morning, fully refreshed, which was something that hasn’t happened in a long time. _How’d you sleep, Edhas?_ Ryan asked.

 _“I don’t sleep,”_ Edhas replied gruffly.

 _“What do you do then?”_ Ryan asked.

 _“I haunt your dreams and peek at women,”_ Edhas quipped.

 _You disgust me,_ Ryan was going to shoot another insult, but the phone rang. Ryan smiled as he answered the phone.

“KIKKERIKIII~!!!” Kiara’s voice exploded through the phone.

“Morning, Tenchou,” Ryan said, his smile growing by the second.

 _“How do you deal with this every day?”_ Edhas asked.

 _Shut up,_ Ryan waved Edhas off.

“Did you really think that just because I got married yesterday you would get a day off?!” Kiara shouted.

“No, actually,” Ryan said, holding his hand over his mouth. “I was rather excited to go to work today.”

“Wait, really?” Kiara’s voice dropped several notches.

“I know you, Tenchou,” Ryan smiled. “I’ll be there in five.”

* * *

_“Why does this walk have to be so long? You know can teleport, right?”_ Edhas complained.

 _You know, I thought about that,_ Ryan thought to himself as he stepped into the clearing, revealing the KFP in all its glory. Metal plates were still haphazardly slapped onto random parts of the joint from when Coco visited and the KFP sign was on fire (AN: Don’t ask). _But I get to see this every day._

 _“Why would you want to see this horrid sight every day?”_ Edhas asked. _“This shit looks terrible. Discount KFC, I’m telling you.”_

 _It’s not much,_ Ryan said, opening the doors.

“Morning Ryan!” Kiara popped up from underneath the counter. “I heard you enjoyed coming to work! I guess that means more overtime for you!”

_But it’s home._

**-The End-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading all the way through! Thank you for everyone who followed me through this journey and all its bumps. I'm honestly very satisfied with how things wrapped up. As I've said before, I will be releasing stories in the same mythos as this fic. Right now, I have a sequel for KFP in the making, more focused on the Coffee Shop AU kind of writing rather than the arcs and action and stuff. I'm not sure if that will change in the future, but I'm very excited to release it. I also have a prequel for KFP, focusing on who Edhas was, revolving around the Masked Mages. The prequel will have very little to do with Hololive in itself, but charaters from Hololive will make appearances, but won't have any critical roles in the story. The prequel won't be coming until I have a better idea of what I want to do with something like it. Again, thank you for reading my fic all the way through and I hope you continue to enjoy my writing.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you are enjoying my KFP fic so far! I'm not putting in characters in any particular order, so feel free to comment on which Hololive idols you would like to see be put on this fic! Also I am willing to have them come back on multiple chapters, such as Calli coming by herself to interact with Kiara and Calli coming with Rushia in another chapter. Anyways, I hope you continue to read my fic. Feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas down below. I'm always open to starting a conversation. I'm also open to constructive criticism. If I can do anything to make my writing better and more enjoyable, please let me know. Thank you.
> 
> IMPORTANT: Ryan is not aware of Hololive, but he is aware of some of the idols because of their professions. For example, Ryan is a fan of rap music, so he knows who Calli is, but wouldn't know who Towa is because she wouldn't be widely known by the pubic. As of now, I'm not planning on bringing up Hololive itself that much, but that may change.


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